


Secret Desire

by SparklyQuarians



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Drama, F/M, Interspecies Sex, Romance, Sexual Tension, affair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:10:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6725464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparklyQuarians/pseuds/SparklyQuarians
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard and Sparatus make no secret over the fact, they cannot stand each other. But deep down, a yearning calls for both of them, making the air sizzle with sexual tension. They give into their most carnal desires, but when the times get hard, can they really be what the other needs, forgiving the past to make a future together? Spans ME2 onwards.</p><p>Yay! 100 Kudos. You are the best, people!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The burning tension

Shepard stood in the council chambers, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the Councillors. They hated it when she did that, especially Sparatus as it normally meant she wasn't listening to a word they said. All she wanted was help to protect the human colonies but they yet again were unwilling to help, because they were human and because it was Shepard that was doing the asking.

"Shepard?" Sparatus hissed, his mandibles fluttering angrily, "Are you listening?"

She sighed, "Not really no. You don't want to help, fine. But don't give me bullshit, it's because they are human colonies. That is exactly why Anderson isn't here."

"That has nothing to do with it, Shepard," Tevos replied angrily, "It is the Alliance's responsibility to help their own colonies."

Shepard laughed, "Oh, so if the Asari came a calling with the same problem, you'd tell them that its Asari High Command's responsibility. Somehow I doubt you would," She turned to leave, before she said something she'd really regret. Turning back, she hit them all with a hard stare, "Just remember I sacrificed human ships to save you. That was clearly the wrong decision as none of you have what it takes to be where you are," She stormed out, leaving three very insulted Councillors behind.

She walked over to Anderson's office, finding her old friend at his desk, "Anderson?"

"Shepard? What are you doing here?" He got up to greet her, giving his former XO and protege a quick hug.

"So I went to see the council again. They still wont help."

He sighed, moving to pour Shepard a drink, "I keep pushing it, but they just don't seem to care."

She took the drink from his hand before taking a seat on the sofa, "Because they are human colonies and not important to them. They said it was the Alliance's responsibility. As much as it kills me to say it, I should have used Cerberus while I had the chance."

"We aren't that desperate Shepard. Speaking of Cerberus, did they like you stealing the ship they built, a shit load of credits and their confidential files and running back to the Alliance?"

"Probably not but I don't give a fuck about that. That's what they get for pissing me off. After seeing Project Overlord in action, there was no way I was going to stay."

"I'm grateful they brought you back, girl. But they underestimated you, everyone does."

"Except you, sir," Shepard smirked, taking a sip of her drink.

"I did once," He gave her a warm smile, "I have the scars to prove it."

"You learned the hard way. I might be pretty, but I can cause lots of pain," Together they laughed. Shepard had missed Anderson when she was given the Normandy. Many times they shared drinks and stories. He was the father figure she never had.

The door to his office slid open revealing Sparatus. He walked in arrogantly, not seeing Shepard at first. Anderson moved, showing Shepard sitting back on the couch with a smirk on her face.

Sparatus saw the Commander sitting on the sofa, her down around her face, unlike before. He rarely saw her looking so casual. Her leather jacket sat on the arm, her N7 vest top revealing a lot of skin. It looked so soft like it would mould into his palm, the creamy coloured skin dotted sparingly with a few darker spots. She was so human but more enticing than any Asari. It took a while for him to realise that he was staring so intently at the human Commander and while her superior was in the room. Her trademark smirk on her pink lips told him that she knew what was on his mind. He turned to Anderson, giving himself a mental shake, "Anderson, we need to discuss the new Spectres."

Shepard finished her drink, placing it on the table. Reaching for her jacket, she stood up to pull it on, giving Sparatus a teasing view of her stomach, as her vest top shifted up slightly with the movement of her arms, "Well, boys, I'll leave you to it. Drinks at 8 at purgatory, Garrus and Tali would love to see you."

"I'll be there, Shepard."

She brushed past Sparatus on the way to the door, "Good day, Councillor."

Sparatus watched as she left. His blood was boiling, she knew just how to get to him and he was sure she did it on purpose, pressing every button he had. Yet, he still found himself staring at her, his mind wandering to more intimate situations he'd like to have her in. The lines of her very human body did things to him, her clothes always showing every curve, the length of her toned legs and the gentle hint of cleavage. A cough from his human counterpart, pulled him from his lascivious thoughts, "Ahh yes. Spectres," He said, moving back to his professional demeanour.

He had no idea how he found himself at the bar in purgatory, glancing around to find a certain raven haired Commander. It infuriated him that she did such things to him. She a mere human, had one of the most powerful turians in the galaxy acting like a adolescent boy. Whenever she was out in the galaxy somewhere, destroy things no doubt, he could forget about her. But when she was on the Citadel, he could think of nothing else. When at home with his wife, Shepard was on his mind. In the shower, his mind would stray towards her, where pleasuring himself was his only release from her teasing smirk.

He got up from his stool, moving over to the dance floor. There she was, in the middle of a sea of people, wearing the most criminal dress, mostly lace, covering enough to be considered decent but yet giving a teasing view of her well honed body. He closed his eyes as the thought of ripping it from her body, danced in his mind. A tall human male had his hands all over her, grinding into her from behind. He couldn't help the sound of displeasure that vibrated in his sub vocals, earning him a curious look from a turian near by.

He caught Shepard's eyes and held her gaze as she lost herself in the rhythm of the music. In the dim light, she glowed, the blue hue that surrounded her making it look like her hair was a blue halo.

Shepard saw Sparatus on the edge of the dance floor, leaning against the wall. His eyes were fixed on her, watching every move. She couldn't deny that the idea of him watching her so intently, aroused her. The air crackled with sexual tension whenever they were in the same room. Only issue was that she really couldn't abide the man. She loved to wind him up any way she could, insulting him or purposely smirking at him, in which he hated. She turned to the man she was dancing with, throwing a devilish in Sparatus' direction, she pulled the man to her for a bruising kiss, pushing her body against his. She looked over to Sparatus as the man in front of her was kissing her neck, his hand moving up her thigh.

Sparatus all but growled at the scene in front of him, the human male kissing her soft skin, pulling her thigh up against his hip. She was doing it on purpose, knowing he was watching. This was Shepard's favourite past time, teasing him with her more-seductive-than-Asari ways. How he couldn't stand the woman, her demanding and disrespectful nature had pissed him off to no end but given the opportunity to bed her, he would in an instant. He was just like any other man and just like any other man, he's thought about it more than once. Suddenly he realised that she wasn't on the dance floor any more, having slipped past him unseen. He walked down the steps away from the dance floor, trying to spot her in the throes of other people. A voice called his name, making his looking around to the source, there he saw an old friend, General Oraka, sitting with Generals Victus and Corinthus, Tarquin Victus, Executor Pallin and Primarch Fedorian, "Decian, come and join us," Oraka called as he waved him over.

Sparatus walked over to the table, forcing all thoughts of Shepard out of his mind, at least temporarily, "Evening, gentlemen. Having fun?" He asked as he sat down.

"We are. What are you doing here? This isn't your usual scene."

"I fancied a change of scenery. The drinks are good."

Oraka laughed, "So are the women, so many curves in one place."

Victus nudged his friend, "You need to find a woman."

"Finding them isn't a problem, Adrien. It's the keeping them that is hard part."

Victus laughed, turning to his son, "Son, if you ever want to keep a woman, don't do what he does."

Oraka's sub vocals fluttered in annoyance, "That is charming," He looked around, admiring the Asari in the room. It was then he saw her, she looked so familiar, then it clicked, "Hey, is that Commander Shepard over there?"

All of his companions turned to look at her, "Yeah, that is. I'm pretty certain I can have her arrested for looking like that," Pallin admired the human female, leaning against the bar, giving them a great view of the perfect shape of her ass.

Oraka felt a rumble in his chest, one the others recognised as desire, "The things I would do to that woman."

Fedorian clicked his mandibles, laughing at his friend, "Alright Septimus. Just what would you do to a human female?"

"Well for a start, I'd rip that dress off of her. Then I'd have my hands over inch of that body, even biting her, she looks like she'd enjoy it. Then I would fuck her from dusk til dawn until she was ruined for human men."

"Damn, Oraka. I'll never be able to talk to her without thinking of that," Pallin huffed as he watched the Commander talk to another human female.

Sparatus sat trying to desperately to control the threatening noise of possessiveness from his sub vocals. He hated hearing people talk about her so disrespectfully, even though he wasn't exactly generous in his own voiced opinions of her.

"Hey Vakerian!" Oraka shouted at Garrus who had passed Shepard near the bar.

"Evening, gentleman," Garrus said as he joined them, "I see you've been admiring my Commander."

"We have been. Oraka wants to take a crack at her," Victus sent a side ways look to a Oraka, smirking slightly.

"Sorry to tell you this Oraka, but she has more class than that," He teased. All their companions laughed deep in their chests, even Sparatus.

"Thank you for that, Garrus. What happened to your face?"

"He tried to catch a rocket with his face," They turned around to see Shepard standing behind them, "Fortunately, it improved his looks."

"Are you saying I was ugly," He asked, doing his best to sound offended.

"No, but you were never that good looking Garrus," Shepard smirked at him, waiting for a witty comeback.

"Fine," He huffed, "You can deal with the children tonight."

"No, no, no," She shook her head, "We agreed, it's daddies turn to round up the children. Mummy has lots of drinking to do."

"Can we just not let them run wild?"

"No, they'd probably destroy the Citadel. Jack has already got Grunt drunk and before you say it, I am not carrying his unconscious ass back to the ship."

"Fine," Garrus huffed, his sub vocals showing the others he was enjoying the banter, "I'll get him back safely. You are responsible for stopping Miranda and Jack from killing each other."

Shepard gasped dramatically, "That so harsh," She whispered, playfully offended.

"Serves you right for calling me ugly," He winced, laughing as Shepard punched his arm before walking away, "As she said. I tried to stop a rocket with my face."

"So what's it like working with Shepard," Tarquin asked, curiously.

"She's good. She always asks for her crew's opinion. If they need help, she'll help. Once you are on her crew, she'll kill to protect you."

"Is that why you wont leave her? Or is it her bedroom skills that keep you there?" Fedorian questioned, his mandibles fluttering in expectation.

"For a start, I'm not sleeping with her," Some of them clicked in disbelief, "She needs me. Without me she wont be able to kick ass with the same style that I've instilled in her."

"Is she into Aliens?" Oraka probed, hopeful he might have his chance with Shepard.

"She's never been with one before but I guess she is open to it."

"Excuse me. I have a human to get into bed," Oraka got up from the table, off in search of Shepard.

Sparatus stayed sitting as the others wondered off, in search of women no doubt. He hadn't managed to spot Shepard in a while, making him wonder if she had found a desirable bedfellow and left with him. He sat back, closing his eyes, thinking about what Oraka wanted to do to Shepard. He had things he wanted to do to her and have her do to him. He desperately longed for her human lips against his skin. He heard rumours that humans enjoyed using their mouths, much more so than the Asari. He opened his eyes when he felt something tickle against his face, he turned round, to see Shepard leaning over the back of the seat, her long hair falling around her face "Evening, Spectre," He said as coolly as he could muster.

"Evening, Councillor. Enjoying yourself?" She asked, as she gently caressed his right mandible.

His sub vocals hummed in quiet enjoyment, the touch of her hand against his face, sending waves of electricity all over him, "I...I've enjoyed meeting some old friends."

"Mmmmm. Do you care to dance or am I just too human for you?"

Sparatus got a delicious view of her cleavage as she leant in closer, "I'm sure I could forget I detest you long enough to dance."

"Good. Although I do ask you to watch were you put your hands. This body is just too good for the likes of you," She walked away, a devilish smirk on her lips as she made her way back to the dance floor. Sparatus joined her moments later as slow and sensual song came on, the seductive tempo was exactly what Shepard wanted. Sparatus put his hands on her hips, the soft curves fitting perfectly in his hands. They moved together slowly, avoiding all eye contact. He couldn't look at her for fear he might lose himself and take her in the middle of the dance floor. Shepard didn't say anything but she could feel the vibrating of his chest running through her. She knew enough that to know that he was feeling something enjoyable and she was quietly glad that the firm grip he had on her hips was doing it for him. He pulled her closer to him, earning a small gasp from her as her cheek rested against his face. He was grateful that the dim lighting made it impossible for people to recognise them. He didn't need the scandal of being found with his hands on another woman, much less a human. He moved his hands lower, grabbing at her ass, so firm but yet so soft, his talons digging in slightly. She moaned in his ear, moving her hands up towards his fringe. He closed his eyes, cursing the ever growing pressure behind his groin plates.

Her omni tool bleeped, causing her to pull away from him. She read the message, cursing slightly, "I must go Councillor. Garrus needs my help. It was fun, surprising since its you."

"Good night, Commander. Try not to destroy anything."

"I make no promises," She fired back, smirking. He watched as she walked away. How he hated that woman but so desperately wanted her naked and moaning beneath him. He knew he had no choice, he'd have to find a willing woman to ease his human induced stress.


	2. Love to annoy you

Shepard woke up to the persistent beep of her terminal. She grunted, almost rolling out of bed, her feet hitting the cold metal floor. Dragging herself up, she padded over to her desk, pressing the accept button, recognising Anderson's call name, "Morning, sir," She yawned, stretching her body.

"Heavy night?" He laughed, noting her bleary eyes.

"Just a little. Did you need something?"

"The councillors have agreed to meet to discuss evacuating the colonies."

Shepard nearly fell down in shock, "Are you sure they are the real councillors?"

Anderson chuckled, "Pretty sure. We are meeting in an hour so get sorted," Shepard ended the call, stepping into the bathroom to turn the shower on.

She stripped off her clothes from the night before, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Two circular bruises on her backside, caught her attention. Thinking back on that night, she realised it must have been Sparatus that caused them, _"Turian bastard,"_ She thought to herself.

An hour later she was in the councils meeting room, sitting with the Anderson, waiting for the others to arrive. Sparatus all but stormed into the room, obviously just having found out about the meeting. The meeting started, Shepard content to let Anderson do all the talking. Every now and again, she caught Sparatus eyes on her. She smiled slightly, this meeting was about to get a whole lot more interesting. She toed off a boot, stretching her long leg until she found one of his sinewy legs. He looked at her curiously, her face still remaining professionally cool as her foot moved as high between his legs as she could get it.

Sparatus felt her foot in between his legs. He fluttered his mandibles at her, his sub vocals letting out a mischievous sound. He'd read that humans could be very ticklish and now was the appropriate time to test that out. He ran his talon up her foot, watching as it was snatched away from his reach, _"Aha,"_ He thought, the Commander has a weakness.

Shepard pulled her foot away, seeing the triumphant look on his face. She shook her head at him before turning away to join the discussion. After the longest hour of Shepard's life , they had reached an agreement over the colonies, meaning Shepard could escape, she was starving and had work to do.

Later on, she had a long run around the citadel and stopped by the combat sim to extend her workout. Walking down in the competitors area, she stopped when she heard some familiar voices.

Oraka sat cleaning his gun as he waited for the others to get ready, "Will you girls hurry up. I want to start shooting things."

"Are you feeling frustrated because you didn't get a chance with Shepard?" Fedorian teased as he did up the latches on his armour.

Oraka grunted, "I'll have you know, I found a very nice asari to play with."

"Still not Shepard though is it?" Victus shouted across the changing room.

Pallin sat next to his old friend, "What is it about her that you like so much, Septimus. She's human."

"Venari. That woman could kick your ass. I'm willing to bet that she is dynamite in bed," Oraka stood up, moving to the gun bench, "I noticed you getting more than a good look at her last night."

Pallin rumbled deep in is chest, "Well, with legs like that who wouldnt look?"

"Sparatus," Corinthus remarked, "He hates the Commander."

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual too," Oraka laughed, throwing a look at Sparatus, "Decian, why don't you like her?"

"She's rude, demanding, disrespectful, crass, inappropriate and uglier than any krogan," He huffed.

The other men laughed, "She's not your wife, Decian," Oraka sniggered, "Shepard might be demanding but I can think of several reasons on why that's good."

"Why are you still married to, Nika?" Victus probed. He really had no idea why Sparatus hadn't ended the marriage, it was a miserable one and she refused to have children.

"She's the daughter of a retired Primarch. Decian cant divorce her without having a bounty put on his head," Fedorian sympathised with his friend. He couldn't abide the former Primarch and his daughter was just as horrible.

Shepard listened to the conversation, she almost felt sorry for Sparatus. But then, if she was married to him, she'd be horrible too. She walked into the dressing room, as if she hadn't been listening to their conversation, "Well, good evening, gentleman."

Oraka smiled at the human Commander, admiring how the leggings and hoodie showed off her figure, "Pleasure to see you again, Commander."

Sparatus could not help but notice the way Oraka was leering at Shepard, it was plainly obvious to anyone looking at him, and he felt something stir within him as he friend openly admired the Commander's physical assets. For some inconceivable reason, he wanted to slap the smirk right off of Oraka's face.

Shepard laughed quietly at Oraka's blatant leering. She knew enough to translate that noise she could hear from his chest, "Like what you see, General?" She asked crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall.

He got close to her, taking in her scent, a mixture of fruity soap and sweat, "What will happen if I say yes?"

"I don't know about that. I might be too much for you," She looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes, resisting the urge to laugh.

"I've had asari, Shepard. You cant be that different."

"Oh, I'm better than any asari, Oraka. I know that there are things they don't do, that I would."

Oraka put his hand on the wall near her head, his mandibles pulling up into a smile, "And what would you do that an asari wouldnt?"

She looked up at him, her face very serious, "Have you ever had your cock sucked by asari?"

Like the other men in the room, Oraka had no idea what to say to her. It was true an asari had never done that as they considered it disgusting, "Humans do that?" He asked, quite shocked.

"Oh yes," Shepard said lightly, "Human men really like it. Imagine being in a hot, wet mouth. A tongue teasing the tip, swirling up and down your length. Imagine, being so far in a Human woman's mouth that you hit the back of her throat. Then you come so hard it feels like your exploding, your hot cum in her mouth. She might swallow or she might not. After that, she might just let you fuck her until dawn. That all depends though on how good you are with your mouth and how many times you can make her come," She smirked knowing that she just made all them speechless.

Victus laughed hard, holding his chest, "Septimus, this is the first time you've ever been speechless."

Shepard looked at Victus, then back at Oraka, "You fancy taking on a challenge, Oraka?"

He moved back, crossing his arms, intrigued, "What is the challenge?"

"If you beat my high score in there, you can all have one night with me. But if you don't, you have to declare humans, superior."

Oraka stood and thought about it. How could she, one person, best a group of turians? After deciding that they could possibly lose, he decided to accept it, "Ok, challenge accepted."

"Excellent. Go and impress me boys," Shepard watched their match and admittedly, they posted an impressive score, only Shepard knew she was better.

The group came back up, all looking pretty impressed with themselves, "See if you can beat that, Shepard," Oraka nudged her slightly, a look smug look on his turian features.

"Well, we shall see," She went down into the arena, confident that she could outdo them. Once the match was finished, she looked up at the scoreboard and laughed. She could just imagine the shock on their faces when they saw her score. She went back up in the lift, a smug grin all over face, "Well boys, that was fun."

"Ten points! You won by ten points. You lucky bitch!" Oraka couldn't have been more outraged. A human, one human had beat six turians by 10 points. He didn't know if he should be insulted or impressed.

"Well boys, since you already know that humans are superior, I wont make you declare it. But since I won, you can buy me things. I like weapons, chocolate, model ships, armour and shoes. Surprise me," She moved to get changed, leaving her six turian companions confused.

After some stunned silence, Victus got up to approach Shepard, "Shepard, we are meeting for poker later. Come along and bring Garrus."

Shepard smiled up at him, "Sure. Send Garrus an address and a time. See you boys later."

They watched as Shepard left, all eyes on her until she was out of sight, "Still into her, Septimus?" Pallin asked.

"Spirits yes! Question is, what do you get a human female, after she's trashed you?"

"Mmmm, she gave a list but better ask Garrus. He knows her best," They all agreed and changed before leaving the arena.

Sparatus sat waiting with the others for Shepard to arrive with Garrus. It made him nervous knowing that she would be in his home, on his territory. He had spent the last two hours, organising Shepard's prize. Although he loathed to do it, he was just grateful he didn't have to declare humans were superior. He'd rather have sex with a krogan than dare say anything like that. He hoped that he would like her prize. It took a lot of convincing Anderson to let him have access to the wreckage of the first Normandy. He knew she had been down to the wreckage to pay her respects to her fallen crew and he knew that must have been hard for her. No matter what he thought of her, he knew her crew were important and she felt their loss deeply. He had organised for someone to collect pieces of the Normandy and have it made into a scale model. It had been Garrus that suggested that to him, after all he had been on the Normandy SR1 too and it would be something that could be displayed on the SR2 as a memorial.

Finally, Shepard and Garrus arrived making their apologies for the lateness. Sparatus did his hardest to resist staring at her. She arrived in shorts, boots and the same leather jacket he saw her wear the day before. He knew she had long legs but something about seeing them uncovered tugged at his desire, the idea of them wrapped around his hips as he pounded in and out of her, nearly sent him over the edge.

Shepard put some bottles on the table, "Turian beer. An apology for us being late. We had to make sure the children were safely chained up on the ship."

Oraka laughed, "I have to know, why do you call them "the children?"

"Because sometimes its like being a frustrated parent because if you please one of them, you end up pissing off another."

Garrus nodded his head in agreement, "And they are prone to doing stupid shit at times"

"Exactly, so mummy and daddy have to make sure all of them are tucked up and bed before we can have date night."

"Ok, why is Garrus "Daddy" then?"

"Because he's my unofficial XO. When I'm not in charge, Garrus is."

"So the crew don't mind taking orders from an alien?" Fedorian asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"No. They like and respect Garrus for his skills and his knowledge. The younger ones look up to him."

"Right!" Corinthus declared, grabbing a beer, "Less chatting, I want to see if the Commander is as good at poker as she is at shooting.

They got the game started, just playing friend at first. Shepard had sat next to Sparatus and every now and then, a taloned hand would brush against the bare skin of her thigh. She knew he was doing it on purpose, trying to put her off, but she chose not to react to his game playing.

After a few more beers, Garrus decided it was time to increase the stakes, "So Shepard..." He started, "Who were the Superior and subordinate officers you slept with?"

She turned to him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion, "I told you, I'm not telling you."

"Would you trade the information for my rifle?"

"Fuck no!"

Garrus chuckled, "You up for a challenge?"

"What kind of challenge?"

"If I win your credits, you have to tell me. If you win mine, you can have my rifle."

She looked at her friend, his eyes boring into her eyes, "It's on, big boy,"

Sparatus watched as they played a round, knowing this was the perfect chance to get his own back on Shepard for earlier in the meeting. Just as she had locked eyes with Garrus, he gripped her thigh, making her lose concentration. It had the desired effect as she lost her poker face, Garrus instantly knowing she was bluffing. He watched with sick satisfaction that the infallible Commander Shepard lost.

"Alright Shepard. Who was it?" Garrus asked, almost too excited.

Shepard huffed out a sigh, giving Sparatus a glare. She was going to get him back for that stunt, "You remember Admiral Ahern?"

"The one who said that, teaching a turian to think outside the box was like trying to teach the krogan to be pretty?"

"The very same."

"How?" Garrus was surprised, Ahern didn't think too much of Shepard on their first meeting.

"I was horny, he was horny, we fucked. That's it."

"Fair enough. What about the subordinate officer?"

"You remember my little fan boy?"

Garrus turned away in sheer horror and disgust, "Please tell you didn't?"

"I did, it was his first posting and he was homesick."

"Oh Shepard. I just don't think I feel the same way about you any more."

Shepard nudged into him with her elbow, laughing at him, "Shut up. You love me and you know it," She turned to Sparatus, giving him the smirk he hated so much, "So did you enjoy getting a feel of my human legs?"

Sparatus stiffened slightly, trying not to show his embarrassment, "I just wanted to see you lose."

Shepard's retort was interrupted by the bleeping of her omni tool. She opened up the message groaning and put her face into her palm, "Garrus we better go."

"What's wrong?" He asked as he stood, quickly finishing his beer.

"Jack got Grunt drunk again. He's just destroyed the salarian statue on the Presidium, now he's dry humping the turian statue."

Garrus's eye widened, "We better get down there before he starts on the asari statue."

"Thanks for the poker gentleman. Oraka behave yourself."

"No promises," He called out to her as she left with Garrus.

Shepard got into bed after dealing with a very drunk Grunt. She had yelled herself hoarse at Jack for getting him in such a drunk state. He had vomited all over Shepard and she was fucking annoyed. After a shower and a cup of tea, she was ready to sleep, but the bleeping of her omni tool wouldnt allow that. She opened up the message, realising it was a chat request. She accepted after seeing Sparatus' name appear.

_ETC request: Sparatus, D. Citadel, Serpent Nebula. 01:00 Local._

_DS: Is the statue still in one piece?_

_AS: Mostly..._

_DS: What do you mean?_

_AS: They put the fire out..._

_DS: What?!_

_AS: Its still standing, is just a little charred. It now looks a bit like Garrus._

_DS: That statue is of me!_

_AS: What! It looks nothing like you._

_DS: On that we can agree._

_AS: Awwww Sparty, this could be a turning point for us._

_DS: Never call me that again!_

_AS: Sorry..._

_DS: No you're not._

_AS: You're right, I'm not. That statue was ugly. Not saying that you aren't though._

_DS: You know, they picked the wrong person for the Alliance recruitment posters. I though they wanted to make joining the Alliance, appealing._

_AS: I'll have you know this face has got me far. My ass, well, my ass gets a lot of attention._

_DS: Cant think why..._

_AS: Admit it Sparty. You'd ride my ass like a space ship if I gave you the green light._

_DS: I can assure you I wouldnt. You are less appealing than a krogan._

_AS: So you said. But I'm not your wife. That's right I heard what you said._

_DS: Good!_

_AS: Night Sparty. I'll be thinking of you...Killing you that is._

_DS: I hate you, Shepard._

_AS: So why are you messaging me at 1am?_

_Sparatus, D is off line._

Shepard laughed to herself knowing she had got to him. Tomorrow, she decided, she'd go and pay the Councillor a visit. Just to wind him up, after all, he was starting to enjoy it.


	3. A turian and his human

Sparatus sat in his office, waiting for Shepard to storm in. It would be about now that Anderson had told her that the support to evacuate the colonies had been withdrawn. He was angry that Shepard had deceived them. Udina had provided the proof that Shepard was still working for Cerberus. They were behind the colonies disappearances and intended to attack the rescue ships.

Sure enough, a very angry Commander stormed in, looking ready to kill, "You withdrew your support. Fucking why?"

Sparatus stood up, moving in front of her, "Because you lied to us, Commander."

"How the fuck have I lied?" She yelled directly in Sparatus' face

"You are still working for Cerberus. They are behind the colony attacks."

"Excuse me? I'm working for Cerberus? Has old age fucked with your mind?" She paced the office, moving away from him, occasionally throwing a glare in his direction, "I saved half of the colonists on Horizon. You think I'd bother if I was working to kidnap them all?"

"Udina found..." He stopped mid sentence as she moved directly in front of him again.

"Udina," She whispered, angrily, "What has that shit done now?

"He called us into a meeting. Showed us the proof," Sparatus could see Shepard getting even more angry. So angry in fact, it had made him start to doubt Udina.

Shepard grunted, pulling her gun from its holster, "I'm going to add an Ambassador to my kill list. When I come back, I might just add a Councillor to it," She stormed out of his office, heading back to the human embassy. She could hear shouting as she got near the door. As it opened, she was greeted by the scene of Anderson beating Udina into the ground and several C-Sec officers trying to pull him off, "What is going?" She shouted, making Anderson get up.

He took a deep breath, bent over, hands on his knees, "I was just beating a confession out of the back stabbing bastard."

"Did you get one?"

"I did. Here.." He threw a data pad at her, in which she caught, "Proof he lied. Take it to Sparatus and ram it down his throat.

Shepard snorted with laughter, "Gladly. Have fun, sir."

Sparatus waited for Shepard to return and he knew she would. Surprisingly, he felt bad about making her angry. He enjoyed nothing more than really winding her up, but this time, he just felt bad. It was her people in danger and it was clear she wanted to protect them. After she left, he really started to doubt Udina's claims. He knew that man was a deceitful bastard but to endanger his own kind, that was low even for a man like Udina.

His heart lurched as his office door opened and there she was, storming towards him, like a wave of destruction. She threw a data pad on his desk before crossing her arms, tapping her foot expectantly, "I see you found Udina."

"I did. Proof that he lied. I'll be taking that support now."

"I'll have to discuss it with the other Councillors."

Shepard moved around to the side of the desk he was sat at, yanking the chair back and spinning it around to face her. She moved in between his legs, her arms either side of his head, hands against the back of the chair, "Now you listen to me, Councillor," Sparatus noted the way she said his title, as if she was mocking the idea of it, "You have nothing to discuss, you tell them they are to give support. Are we clear?"

"We are, Shepard," He watched as she leant over him, so close he could smell her fruity scent. It took all his strength to stop himself from pulling her on to his lap. She looked so beautiful, her blue eyes locked on to his, if she was seeking an answer to a question she had yet to ask. Without thinking, forcefully pulled her on to his lap, reaching up to release her hair from its normal position on her head, letting the silky black locks fall into his fingers. He tugged on her hair, pulling her head back to expose her long neck to him, his teeth grazing against the supple skin.

She moaned, as his teeth nipped at her neck, probably marking her flesh. Her heart was beating hard as she leant into him, her hands tracing the lines of his colony markings. Tugging hard on his fringe, making him hiss, she crushed her lips against his mouth plates, the faint taste of metal and something slightly sweet hitting her tongue. She groaned when his roughened tongue trace the lines of her bottom lip, trying to tempt her mouth open. She eagerly welcomed him in her mouth, his tongue finding hers, each seeking dominance over the other. She felt the zip of her jacket being yanked down, moving back to shrug it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground.

He watched as more of her creamy skin was revealed to him, the flat of her stomach, the curious little hole in the the middle, the swell of her breasts, it all looked so enticing. With a growl, he ripped a talon through the lace fabric of her bra, yanking at it until it fell apart in his hands. He palmed her breasts, as he kissed her so eagerly. She was warm to touch, soft and inviting. He longed to explore her body with his hands and mouth, to have his hands against her enticing curves, to lose himself with in her.

Shepard pulled away, breathless, lips swollen, resting her forehead against his crest, "Where the hell did you learn to kiss like that?"

"I've been with asari. I have to say, they don't compare."

She sat back, giving him a suspicious look, "Was that a compliment, Councillor?"

He laughed, pulling her back to him, her head against his crest once again, "Yes it was."

"Good. So are you going to nail me to the desk or do I need to service myself?"

In a display of turian strength, he stood up, taking her with him, putting her down on the cold marble surface. He pressed a button on his terminal, "Imra, cancel all my appointments and do not disturb me. The Commander and I have important things to discuss."

"Yes Councillor," His asari assistant replied.

He pressed another button, changing the privacy settings. The door locked and the windows blacked out, "We don't want to be disturbed, do we?"

"Oh I don't know. I'm sure people would be very interested to know that the turian Councillor fucked the only human Spectre into oblivion."

"It would certainly interest the publishers of the Fornax," He leant over the desk, pressing Shepard down, her back against the surface. He watched, his chest rumbling with anticipation as she forcefully pulled on the buckles of his jacket, pulling it down his arms. She did the same to his under shirt, revealing his bare torso. She had never seen a turian naked in the flesh and his alien body fascinated her. He had a hard, defined chest, covered in protective plates, waist narrow and hips almost square. The thing she noticed most was a long deep scar that run the width of his abdomen. She gently touched it, making him flinch. She knew that was a subject for another time. She leaned back on the desk, pulling him with her. They kissed again, slightly less urgent than the first time, but both still wanting more.

He pulled away from her lips, nuzzling into her neck, nipping at her skin. He finally had her at his mercy, her body open and ready for his exploration. He moved down to the space between her breasts, his hands palming her breasts, earning him a delicious little groan. He moved his attentions to the pert little peaks of her breasts, his blue tongue teasing it, making it hard. He suckled on her nipple, while tweaking the other with his fingers, talon scratching against them slightly. He growled deep in his sub vocals as he felt her hands caress the soft area under his fringe, then he caught on to her intention as she pushed him downwards slightly. He decided for once, he'd give her what she wanted as he kissed her stomach before he hooked his fingers around the hem of her trousers, pulling them down her legs, panties joining the trousers, throwing them somewhere in the room. He spread her legs, casting his eyes over her sex, the soft pink folds inviting.

Shepard gasped as his fingers probed her, testing what made her moan. She reached down and guiding him to her clit, pulling her hand away when he read her cue. Gently, he teased it, his sub vocals reacting to her soft groaning. But he wasn't content with just her gentle groaning, he really wanted to hear her. He had heard stories of human females becoming very vocal when pleasured in the right way and he wanted to know for himself if it was true. He pulled his chair back and sat down, his eyes still on the human displayed before him, gripping her hips to pull her closer, pushing her legs further apart. He kissed her thighs, smelling her fragrant skin before nuzzle into her sex, his body reacting to the scent of her arousal. He flicked his tongue against her folds, experimentally, tasting her reactions. He teased different areas, finally reaching her clit, making her groan loudly, bucking her hips upwards.

She gripped on to the edge of the desk as his turian tongue teased her clit relentlessly. She let out a long gasp as a thick finger entered her quickly, taking her by surprise, "Fuck" she groaned out as he found the right point inside of her. Suddenly, he suckled on her clit, her hips involuntarily undulating towards his face. She sat up slightly, watching as his face was buried deep between her legs, "Oh fuck," She cried out, "Right there...don..don't stop."

He listened to her cries, feeling a sense of smug satisfaction that he had the Commander Shepard on his desk, thrashing around and moaning for him to keep going. The scent of her arousal at his ministrations had gone to his head and the unbearable pressure behind his groin plates needed release. He moved slightly, but still continue his campaign to make her orgasm hard, using a free hand to tug down his trousers, running a finger down his seam to coax his cock out. Once he had some relief from the pressure in his groin, he returned his full attention back on his human lover. He sensed she was close as her back had arched, head thrown back, banging her palm against the desk.

Shepard knew she was so close, it almost felt like she could explode, "Fuck...fuck...fuck, fucking turian," She came with a roar that was so loud that his assistant could probably hear it. She fell limp against the desk, panting, her legs feeling like led.

Sparatus stood up, leaning over her slightly, watching in triumphant as she laid spent on his desk, "Tired already, Shepard?" He teased.

She snapped her head up, looking at him with darkened eyes, "Not on your fucking life, turian," She growled.

He stopped her when she tried to sit up to reach his cock, "Later Shepard," He growled, "I am going ruin you, little human."

"Bring it on, asshole!" She sneered.

He grabbed her arms, pinning her to the desk, his talons digging into her skin. He push the head of his length against her entrance, watching as he forced himself into her, nearly losing control at the tightness of her, "Spirits, Shepard. So tight..." He voice trailed off as he was fully sheathed within her, temporarily frozen at the delightful restricting of his cock, realising the grip on her arms.

She sat up slightly, smirking at the usually controlled Councillor, now at a loss, "What's the matter, Councillor. Cant handle a little human," She laughed teasingly. In response, he made a sound in his sub vocals that she realised was him accepting a challenge.

He looked at her with a possessive sneer, a wild animal like noise rumbling in his chest. He pulled out of her roughly, making her whine, picking her up with ease and forcefully bending her over the desk. He leant over her, nipping at her ear, "I am going to fuck you and you _will_ scream, weak little human," He whispered, his voice low and dark. He slammed into her, no thought for gentle, he had a clear aim, to claim Commander Shepard as his own. He snarled as he grabbed her hair, pulling it hard, bringing her head back, as he slammed back into her again, making her cry out, begging him for more. He found a harsh, punishing rhythm, slamming into her with a grunt. She begged and pleaded for him to go harder, each noise she made turning him more into a raging animal, his voice echoing around his office. He yanked out her hair, pulling her up against his body, her neck exposed, too tempting for him to resist. He bit down on her flesh, sinking his teeth in, as he continued a hard pace.

Shepard felt the sting of his sharp teeth in her neck and she couldn't believe how amazing it felt. It should have hurt but it just sent her over the edge as her walls constricted against him. She reached her arms up behind her, wrapping them around his neck, pulling her even close to him. She threw her back against his shoulder as she completely shattered around him, the pulsing in her groin in perfect timing with each stroke.

His chest rumbled loudly as she came, clenching around him like a vice. He felt himself losing control, realising the grip on her neck, he roared, his talons marking her flesh as he exploded within her. He felt his knees buckle so he threw them both backwards, into his chair, himself still seated within Shepard. He held her tight, her limp from well and truly spent, her breathing erratic and shallow. After a time, his cock softened, moving back behind his plates. His seam covered in a mixture of fluids that dripped from Shepard's sex, "Are you ok?" He asked softly, moving the sweaty hair from her face.

She laughed, her eyes closed, "I think so," She breathed out.

He stood up, carrying her in his arms, in an almost romantic gesture. He walked to his personal bathroom, "Press that button," She pushed it and the shower turned on. He put her on her feet and joined her after kicking off his trousers, luckily the shower was big enough for two. He fumbled around for some soap, thankfully it was a nice one since his assistant sorted out those things for him. He washed her gently, taking care not to hurt her, cleaning blood off the bite mark he left. She turned around in his arms, wrapping her arms around his slim body, resting her head on his chest. He held her tightly, sensing the vulnerability that she was feeling. He wanted to laugh to himself. He marked a human as his lover. He had never even marked his own wife, actually, he had never marked another female at all. He had never felt the desire to claim a female until he met Shepard, then it was all he could think about, her wearing his bite mark on her body. He couldn't reason why he wanted her so bad, she lived to piss him off and him to piss her off in return, but in close quarters, the tension bubbled and he knew it would explode. Now he had her in his arms, as if he were her protector.

Eventually, he reluctantly let her go, knowing they couldn't stay in the shower all day, no matter how much the wanted to. He stepped out, grabbing a towel for himself, wrapping it around his waist. He handed her a towel when she stepped out, watching as she, dried her hair first, before wrapping it around herself. He grabbed some medigel, rubbing it into her bite mark, "I apologise, Shepard. I've never marked a female before."

She smiled at his reflection behind her in the mirror, "It's ok. What does it mean?"

His mandibles clicked uncomfortably, trying to form a reasonable answer that happened to be a lie. He couldn't tell her that he essentially picked her for his mate. He nearly grunted in frustration as his mind refused help him with an answer, his only choice but to tell the truth, "Males do it when we are choosing a mate," He avoided her eyes in the mirror, not wanting to confront the awkwardness.

She smirked, "Awwww Sparty. That almost sounds like a declaration of love."

He grunted in annoyance, stepping away from her, "Still as a egotistical as ever."

She turned to face him, determined to be serious for once, "So what does it mean?"

"I've picked you as my mate, it's up to you if you respond."

"How do turian women respond?"

"They expose their mark to show they are spoken for."

She looked at her mark, rubbing it with her hand, "I don't think walking around with a bite mark on my neck would be a good idea. Too many questions."

Sparatus felt a twinge of disappointment inside of him, "I understand, Shepard," He said coolly.

Shepard walked over to him, pulling him down to her so she could nuzzle into his neck, "It's not that. You are a married man after all, happily or not. We can keep this on the quiet, whenever I'm back on the citadel."

He wrapped his arms around her, grateful that she would accept him, they just couldn't make it public and that was good enough for now, "You are right. I have an apartment not too far from here. You can use it whenever you're on the citadel. We can meet up there."

"Good. As much as I enjoy fucking in your office, your assistant might start getting suspicious," She stepped out of the bathroom, walking over to his desk to pick up her clothes. She got dressed and tried to get of that just-been-fucked look, "I have worked to do but I'll go to your apartment later, if your lucky, I wont have any clothes on."

He towered over her, pressing her body into his, "My apartment has a no clothes policy."

"That's good, I enjoy being naked," She pressed a kiss into his mouth plates, smiling as he pressed his crest against her forehead.

"I'll be finished at six," He told her, letting her go, watching as she walked out. He sat down at his desk, convinced he had gone mad. He had picked a mate, a human no less, who happened to be Commander Shepard, a spectre and a great source of irritation of his. But yet, he looked at the time and counted down the hours, when he could have her in his arms again.


	4. Domestic bliss

Sparatus headed home to his apartment after a long an exhausting day of dealing with the most awkward people in the galaxy. The highlight of his day was Shepard. After she had stormed into his office to yell at him, then returning again to demand things, it had turned into probably the best sex of his life and if she hadn't come in, he probably wouldnt have survived the day with reaching for the brandy. He hoped she would be at his apartment, waiting for him but he didn't expect it, he was used to going home to no one, nobody there to greet him, even when he return to his marital home, his wife wasn't there. He parked his sky car before heading up to the apartment. The front door slid open, the aroma of delicious food beckoning him in, the sound of what he guess was human music, filling the apartment in gentle rhythmic waves. He stepped in, putting his briefcase on the table as he normally did, heading straight to the kitchen. There she was, his human lover, stood over the stove, gently humming along as she added an ingredient into one of the pans. He crept up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck, making her jump slightly, "Something smells good."

"I'm making cauliflower cheese with potatoes and the turian equivalent for you. Taste it," She dipped a wooden spoon into the sauce, before lifting it to his mouth. She smiled as he tasted it, his sub vocals giving a hum of approval, "You like it?"

"I do. Been a very long time I've come home to the smell of home cooking."

"I love to cook. It relaxes me," She grabbed some plates, ready to dish up dinner, "They say that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Wanted to test it out on a turian."

"So what is the way to a women's heart?" He sat down one of the stools, opening the beer that Shepard had given him.

"For me, chocolate," She smiled as she opened the fridge, pulling two chocolate mousses, placing them on the counter, "Tell me, turian. Have you ever used food in the bedroom before?"

"No human, I haven't," He leaned over the counter towards her, "But I'd love to try."

"Good, because I've always wanted to try chocolate turian," She put them back in the fridge, before moving to serve up their dinner, "You can set the table."

They sat down to eat, discussing his day and how Tevos was droning on about her holiday to earth, "You know I was born on earth, turian."

"Tell me what its like."

"Well, the place I was born is called Newquay. It has a beach and a perfect view of the Atlantic ocean. In the summer, when its hot, its the perfect place to hang out. I haven't been back in years. I mostly stayed on ships with my mother or in Buenos Aires with my Grandmother. What about you?"

"I was born in a small mercenary colony, we moved to Cipritine when I was five. A huge city, full of high rises and impressive architecture. I haven't been back there in a while. I do miss it though. You could lose yourself in the city, it is full of life and wonder."

"Ahhh so you're a city boy," She took a sip of beer, before taking the last mouthful of dinner, savouring its flavour before swallowing, "So what is your first name? I know its not Sparatus."

"Decian. Decian Sparatus. What's yours?"

"Alexandra. When people use my first name, they usually just call me Lexi."

"So Lexi, now dinner is finished, what about dessert?" He said in a low voice, his sub vocals, suggestive.

"Well, its a good job you have a big dining table, both of us are going to laying on it."

"I'd rather do it in bed. The sheets can be washed."

Shepard stood up, reaching over to caress his fringe, "You better clean up then, I'll be waiting in bed," She smirked before removing the chocolate mousses from the fridge and strolling to the bedroom with them in hand.

He cleaned the plates away then reality hit him. He was getting involved with a human, something that the hierarchy would look down on as bonding with non turians meant turian children wouldnt be born as was a high ranking turian's duty. He would also be disowned from his family, they hated humans and would like nothing but them being eradicated completely. He knew it was more than just casual sex, she had shown she cared about him, despite how often they butted heads and he had come to care for her. It had to end and he knew it, but he couldn't end something that felt so right to him. He steeled himself ready to end it with her, walking to the bedroom, the sight that greeted him, completely blanked his mind. His brain had clearly gone on vacation and all his blood pooled into his groin at the sight of Shepard, laying naked on his bed, covered in dextro chocolate mousse.

She leant up, resting on her hands behind her, "Are you going to just stand there, Decian?" She said lowly, flicking her long hair back behind her.

He growled, almost ripping his clothes off before jumping on to the bed, crawling over her body, "Why do you tease me, Lexi?"

"Because you enjoy it. Also the fact you are so very good at fucking me."

He chose not to respond to her, instead he flicked his tongue over her chocolate covered nipple, sucking it into his mouth, groaning at the heavenly mixture of the chocolate and the slightly salty taste of her skin. He moved to her other nipple, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her arousal. She really had no idea of just what she did to him. His body yearned for her, to touch her, to hold her, to be hers. He moved to her stomach, licking and kissing her skin, his talons leaving white scratch marks to show where he'd been. Positioning himself between her thighs, he kissed the slowly, licking off the trails of chocolate. He trilled with pleasure as he dipped a finger into the chocolate before teasing her folds, lifting it to his mouth to lick it off, "Tastes much nicer mixed with you," He trilled, happily.

"So get your tongue in there, turian. I want to be dripping off your face at the end of it," She demanded.

"I see your demanding nature extends to bedroom as well as the council chambers," He clicked his mandibles, his eyes looking distinctly smug.

"Bitch, you have no idea just how demanding I can be. Make me cum, now!"

He chuckled deep in his chest. There was something so sexy about it when she used her Commander voice in the bedroom. In the council chambers, he hated it, she drove him crazy, but while he was in between her legs, he wanted to hear it more. He deliberately teased her, trying to draw out the Commander, sensing her annoyance growing and growing. Suddenly, she growled, moving swiftly to pin him underneath her, as she straddled his hips, reaching over to her jeans on the floor, grabbing the belt. He watched with excitement and nervousness as to what she was planning. She pushed his arms above his head, using the belt to bind his wrists to the bed the head of the bed.

"Dont fucking move, turian," She warned, looking at him with dark eyes. He watched, almost purring as she kissed down his chest to his stomach. She cast him a sultry look that nearly sent him over the edge, her eyes still locked on to his as she moved to his seam, his plates already slightly parted. She coaxed his cock out, taking it in hand, tracing the lines and ridges with a finger, "Such a pretty cock you have, Decian," She teased the tip with her tongue, smirking at his groaned response.

Never before in his 45 years in the galaxy had he ever had a more mind blowing experience than being seated in a human's eager mouth. A hot, wet, tight but so very inviting space, being drawn in and out, the tip hitting the back of her throat as she swallowed with each suck. He had no idea where he was, who he was or even if he was still breathing, all he could think about was the human massaging his cock over and over and he was ready to blow. He growled lowly, using his talons, shredding the fabric, to free himself from the leather belt. Sitting up, his hands went to her hair, gripping on to it as he forced her head down on him until she was almost choking, but she didn't seem to mind, "Spirits!" He groaned into the ceiling, bucking his hips up towards her mouth, desperate for his release.

With a feral roar, he exploded into her mouth. She swallowed his hot cum, licking the tip clean before she pulled away. She laughed slightly at the Councillor, who looked very much like he'd been on a week long drinking session with a krogan, "Are you ok, Decian," She asked sweetly with a hint of smugness.

"I have absolutely no idea," He pulled her down on top of him, "Apparently, the best place in the galaxy is your mouth."

She hit his shoulder, playfully, "And you never forget it," She sat up grabbing the chocolate, dipping her fingers in before licking it off, "I'm hungry still after that. Your cock has given me quite the appetite."

"I haven't eaten yet. You interrupted me," He moved in between her legs, parting them further.

"You were taking too long, but since you're hungry, I wont starve you," She laid back, opening herself up to him.

"How very kind of you, Commander."

"I know. I'm so reasonable, even when you aren't," She smirked, making him growl in annoyance.

"That smirk of yours. I'm going to wipe it off your face."

"Well stop talking then," She squealed in surprise when he pulled her down the bed, towards the edge, him kneeling on the floor. She gasped as his tongue was suddenly probing her folds, hungrily. Pawing at the sheets, she groaned loudly, he tongue buried deep within her. She would never tell him, for fear of making his ego bigger, but he was so very good at using his tongue. Not a surprise really as he talked for a living, a smooth talker, again, she wouldnt tell him that either.

He growled possessively, burying his face in between her legs, focusing his attention on her clit, easing a finger into her. He gripped on to her hips to keep her anchored to the bed as she mewled, thrashing around as she neared the edge, "Yesssss, keep going," She ordered before she arched her back, her body going stiff as she reached her peak, going limp on her way down.

The pressure behind his plates had grown to a point were he couldn't take it any more. Coaxing his cock out, he entered her quickly, both moaning at the sensation. He wouldnt last, he knew it, he just had to be in her. He pounded into her hard and urgent, she snapped her hips up to meet every thrust, bodies crashing together. His chest rumbled as he felt her nails grazing the soft skin protected by his fringe. She always knew just where to touch him that found drive him crazy. He moved his hands between her back and the mattress, cradling her as he lifted her into his, but still very much in control. He bucked into her as she rolled her hips, the tempo changing from hard and urgent to almost tender love making. She nipped at his mandibles, sucking her juices from them, "I'm all yours, Decian," She breathed out, undulated her hips in rhythm with his.

He mewled slightly at her confirmation, her willingness to his and only his, "Mark me, Lexi," He groaned, moving them back on the bed, his body pinning hers.

"Where?" She whispered to him. He pointed to an area of his neck where the plates were softer.

He kept moving within her, her blunt human teeth sinking into his flesh. Considering how blunt they were, they were still quite sharp and he knew she had broken the skin to make him bleed. She let go, throwing her head back, she neared her orgasm, his blue blood on her lips. He chest rumbled loudly as he felt her walls clench around him, pushing him to the edge as she cried out. He followed not long after, spilling his seed within her.

Together, they collapsed in a heap, satiated and spent. He moved next to her, feeling the slight sting of her bite mark, "For blunt teeth, you humans know how to bite."

"We are meat eaters, how do think we'd manage if we couldn't tear flesh," She cuddled up to him, her head on his shoulder.

"I suppose so. I guess I'm all yours now."

"What happens now usually, since we marked each other?"

"A bonding ceremony would occur if both parties agreed to make the bonding permanent."

"You mean marriage. So we are technically engaged? Could we bond officially, since you are bonded already?

"We have two types of marriage, one is an arranged marriage, which is what I'm in and we have a bonded marriage, that is when two people connect to each other and bond by marking. So I could bond officially with you but my first marriage would count more in the event of my death."

"It's all academic though I suppose. No high ranking turian has ever bonded with an alien."

Sparatus whined with sadness, luckily Shepard couldn't hear it, "No, they haven't," He turned to look at her, realising she had already fall asleep. She looked so perfect and innocent. He knew he should have ended it but he couldn't ignore what his body told him, it told him that she was the woman for him, a human, yes, but still a woman. He held her tightly, enjoying the warmth of her body on his, drifting off into a peaceful sleep, for tomorrow, he'd wake up to his very human lover.

* * *

Shepard made her way through the Embassies towards the turian section. She mostly ignored the looks she was getting from several turians. It seemed lately, where ever she went, turian males especially, seemed to stare at her. She resolved to ask Sparatus why, hoping that he hadn't scent marked her so people could smell it. She got to his office, winking at his asari assistant who let her pass. When she got inside, it was full of turians. Both Senior and Junior Victus, Oraka, Fedorian, Sparatus, Nihlus, she still wondered how he managed to survive a bullet to the head, but Garrus survived a rocket to the face, turians are tough fuckers. There was another turian she didn't recognise, who looked like Sparatus, "Are you boys joined at the hip?" She smirked, hands on hips as they turned around to greet her.

It was Fedorian who greeted her, shaking her hand, leading her to Sparatus' desk, "Shepard, thank you for coming. You know almost everyone, you've met Nihlus?" She nodded at Nihlus who nodded in return, "This is General Iden Sparatus, Decian's brother."

"So what do you need from me and can I assume you've cleared it with the Alliance?"

"We have, Shepard. Take us a seat and let us explain," She took a seat with the others, taking a drink that Sparatus offered her, "One of our colonies has gone dark. This colony has a human population of around a thousand."

"So you think that this colony has gone the same way as the other human colonies?"

Fedorian nodded, knowing she was understand, "Exactly. The Normandy is the only crew that has dealt with the Collectors before. We thought the colony would be safe since its mainly turians."

"Right. So any Intel coming in? Which colony is it?"

Sparatus pointed to a holo map on the wall, "This colony, outside hierarchy space."

"That's in the terminus systems. You give us shit for doing that," She opened up her omni tool, typing out a message, "My mother's ship just came back from that system."

General Sparatus stood up in outrage, "How many more humans are we involving in this! You know you cant trust them!"

Shepard turned to him, scowling, "Hey, they involved me. I can leave and leave you to it."

Councillor Sparatus grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving, "Shut up, brother. She can be discreet."

"My mother is on her way here and be nice, she's an Admiral," A few moments later, a blue eyed, raven haired woman walked in, "Hi mum."

"Hi sweetheart," She replied, embracing her child.

Sparatus eyed the mother of his lover, noting how a like they were. She looked like the older version of Shepard, same dark hair, although cut to a bob, same blue eyes, even the same smirk. Both women had such a striking beauty. "Admiral Shepard, thank you for coming."

"Not a problem. My daughter said it was regards to one of your colonies. Parthia, I believe?"

"Correct," Fedorian confirmed, "The Commander said you had just returned from that system."

"I have. Bizarrely, Cerberus had been sniffing around that system of weeks. We monitored them for a while, then they left."

"What is in that colony?" Shepard asked, pondering what Cerberus could want with a turian colony.

"It's a weapons factory. Most of the fleets weapons come from there."

"Do many people know of it's existence?"

"Maybe the alliance and the asari, but they have no interest in it."

"Well," Shepard said as she moved to the map, "We can stand around conjecturing or we go and find out. We shall leave in the morning."

"Thank you, Shepard," Fedorian nodded, "See, Iden. Humans aren't so bad after all."

He grunted towards the Primarch before leaving, the others following, leaving Sparatus and Shepard alone together. He pulled her to him, nuzzling her neck, "I'll miss you."

She smiled, kissing the side of his face, "I'll miss you too. Thanks for breakfast this morning."

"My pleasure. Figured you'd need it after that wake up call."

"Mmmm, best way to wake up in the morning. Your cock must have magic properties."

He gripped on to her ass, lifting her on to the desk, "Shall I clear my diary and we can spend the day in bed?"

"That, Councillor, sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll be at yours, testing out that hot tub."

He held her close to him, looking her apologetically, "I apologise for my brother. He takes my father's anti human stance very seriously."

"It's fine. He seems like an asshole," She laughed when he laughed, kissing his mouth plates gently, "I see you agree. I'll see you in a bit."

He watched her leave, a flutter settling in his heart, as for once he found someone who agreed with his opinion of his brother. He knew that if his brother was aware of his relationship with Shepard, he'd try to steal her away, despite hating humans, just because she was his. That was the sort of man his brother was. He told Imra to cancel his appointments and left to get back to Shepard, who he knew would be waiting for his return.


	5. For an audience

Garrus stood in the main battery, fiddling with his visor, "Can you see anything?" He asked the air, casting Tarquin Victus a look out the corner of his eyes.

" _Yeah, perfect picture,"_ Came the reply over the comm from Primarch Fedorian.

"You know Shepard will go mad if she finds out that I'm recording her."

" _Shut up, Garrus,"_ Oraka fired back, _"I want to see her in action."_

"I thought you did in the combat sim?"

" _Yeah, but that's not real action, I want to see her in the way you see her."_

"Alright fine. I want you to know, I'm doing this because its a direct order. I will sell you out," He left the battery with Tarquin, greeting Gabby on the way to the lift, _"Oh, I like her,"_ Garrus rolled his eyes at Oraka, the man was like a horny varren at times. It was going to be a tough mission with him in his ear, watching everything. He got down to the shuttle bay where James and Steve were in discussion by the Mako.

"Hey Scars," They greeted both turians, "Taking little one with us on this mission?"

Tarquin scoffed at him, "Little one? I'm not that young."

"Younger than most of us. That's why Shepard tries to mother you."

"That is why she is the mother of this ship, she looks out for everyone," Steve added. James and himself hadn't been on the ship for that long but they had been quickly brought in to Shepard's fold and thus mothered by her.

Garrus took a seat in the shuttle with Tarquin, waiting for the rest of the ground team. While it was quiet, he decided it was time to warn Oraka to behave himself, "Septimus?"

" _Yes, Garrus?"_

"Can you please not get excited over every human female that you see?

" _Cant guarantee that. You work with some delicious looking females."_

Garrus heard laughter coming from the others and Tarquin, then the younger turian looked into his visor, "Garrus, be thankful he hasn't seen that Miranda yet."

He groaned, Tarquin had good a point. Miranda wore ridiculously skimpy outfits that showed just how perfect she was, Oraka would probably have a heart attack if he saw her, "Remind me to not look at her."

"Will do," Tarquin laughed, his chest rumbling that only Garrus would be able to hear.

The ground team joined both turians in the shuttle, Shepard sitting opposite Garrus, next to Tarquin, "Right children. We'll split into teams. I'll take daddy and the boy. James, you you're with Jacob and Thane. Miranda, you got Tali, Liara and Kasumi. Zaeed and Jack, you keep Grunt under control, Samara you keep those two in line. I've sent you the nav points. James, head to the docks. Miranda, take the residential district. Jack, you take the comms relay. We'll go to the factory. Any questions?"

"Any idea what to expect?" Miranda asked.

"Nope. All the turians know, is that the colony went dark about a month ago. They didn't think it a problem at first. This colony has had a few comm issues, normally easily resolved. Cerberus might be here so Jacob and yourself better be careful."

"Understood, Shepard."

The crew settled in for the journey. They all agreed to keep the Normandy at a distance and take the shuttle instead. James tapped Garrus on the shoulder, causing the turian to turn to him, "Hey Scars. Maybe you can answer the question Steve and I were debating."

"What is it?"

"Why is it whenever Lola is around, turian men seem to...let out a weird noise?"

Tarquin successfully hid the the laughter threatening to come out as Garrus flustered, trying to figure out how he could explain why Shepard was popular with turian men. He looked at Shepard, who thankfully didn't seem that interested in knowing the answer, "No idea. Cant say I've noticed."

"Are you deaf?" Zaaed's gruff voice came from the other side of the shuttle, "That young C-Sec officer dropped his gun when Shepard talked to him."

"He was young, don't think that has anything to with him being turian."

Tali shifted in her seat next to him, "What about General Oraka. He acts like he's ready to leap on her."

" _It takes a lot of effort not to do just that."_

Garrus ignored the voice in his ear, "Ok, so some turian men are attracted to Shepard. I've seen many different species looking at her. I've seen Jacob checking out her ass when she's working out."

Jacob coughed from the cockpit, glancing at Steve who was shaking with laughter, "I'm not the only one who has."

"don't feel bad Jacob, I do have a very nice ass," Shepard said nonchalantly, withdrawing from the conversation as quickly as she entered it.

" _Garrus...Garrus. You better answer the man._

He heard the laughter of Victus over the comm. He didn't really want to say that turians are growling at Shepard in a show of lust. He was surprised that humans could actually hear it. He huffed out a sigh, "Alright fine. They were growling at her. It is a sign of lust."

That caught Shepard's attention as the crew sat in silence. Suddenly all them erupted into fits of laughter, including Shepard, who was doubled over, "So what...they have lustful thoughts about me. Why?"

"Many reasons, but we turians are a military race. You can kick any man into the ground, blindfolded and hands tied behind your back. We like women who can take care of themselves."

Shepard had an epiphany, thinking back to the time in the combat sim, "So when I wiped the floor with Sparatus and his motley crew, I proved I could look after myself?"

"Yep. Oraka wants to... "Blow off steam" with you."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," She replied bluntly.

" _Ask her why not?"_

"Why not Shepard? Oraka is considered attractive to turian women."

"So why is he after alien women, like a varren in heat?"

Tarquin let out an involuntary snigger, "According to my father, he's had most of the female population of Palaven and he doesn't do rematches."

Shepard snorted with laughter, "There is the reason why it wont happen. No girl likes to be treated as if she's the only option left. I also have no desire to be a notch on his bedpost. Now Victus Sr, I could be tempted."

Tarquin groaned in disgust, "Why?"

"Because he wouldnt say no if I offered my vagina on a plate. He just wouldnt expect it."

"Now that will keep me going on lonely nights," Zaeed replied, adjusting himself to the disgust of Miranda sat opposite.

"So what about Pallin?" Tarquin asked.

"Mmmm no, human shy and a bit too choir boy."

"Fedorian?"

"Maybe. Although he seems like he'd be too gentle for my tastes."

"Ok, Sparatus?"

Shepard hid her smirk, "Possibly, if he let me gag him during sex. Cant run the risk of him throwing politics at me."

"Shepard..." Garrus started, "You hate Sparatus remember. You said you like to put your fist in his face."

"I would, but after sex," Shepard laughed at Garrus' obvious disgust.

"What about me?" Tarquin leaning towards Shepard.

"Awwwwww. I'd happily break you in but I'd be a bit too much on your first alien experience."

"I'm not a first timer, Shepard," He said, a little bit offended at the implication that he was a virgin.

"How many aliens have you been with?"

"Well, none."

"Then you're a first timer. don't worry Tarquin, we'll find you a nice alien girl to practice with."

In Sparatus' office, the group sat and watched the exchange between Tarquin and Shepard, "Is she trying to pimp out my son?" Victus asked, confused.

Oraka waved his hand at him, dismissively, "She's just looking out for him. What have you been telling that boy, Adrien?

Victus felt his sub vocal trill with laughter, "Nothing that isn't true."

"Aren't we all smug, Adrien? Shepard did say she'd be tempted by you," Fedorian leered, ignoring what she said about him.

"She mentioned Decian too," He replied, hiding his flicker of excitement. Although he'd never make a move on Shepard. As attractive as she was, he still didn't feel ready to approach another woman, even though it had been 4 years since his wife had passed.

Sparatus huffed, disguising his knowing chuckle, "Ah yes, she'd just like to gag me during it and punch me afterwards."

"Not the first person to say something to that effect, Decian," Oraka replied drolly, while taking a sip of his whiskey.

"You are just annoyed that your attempts to bed the Commander have failed."

"Who says they've failed?" Demanded Oraka, "I haven't given up completely, there are still a few strategies I have yet to employ."

"If any of them involve a hanar and a tube of that disgusting jelly they sell at the consort room, don't tell us," Laughed Victus.

Oraka shrugged taking another sip of his whiskey, "don't be stupid, it involves that perfume oil."

Sparatus did his best not to laugh at his friend. He couldn't wait to tell Shepard what Oraka had been saying, "I'm sure the Commander would be thrilled to know what you have planned for her, Septimus."

"Yes," Fedorian added, "Bet she cant wait to be your last option."

Nihlus scoffed from behind them, "A woman like that should be the first and only option," The others trilled in agreement, before turning back to the screen, as they heard Shepard swearing, panting for breath.

Garrus ran over to Shepard as she struggled to get to her feet, "Are you ok, Shepard?"

She huffed out a breath, "Yeah...knocked the wind out of me."

He helped her up to her feet, making sure she was really ok, "Unless the colonists where placing their own traps, we can assume that Cerberus did that."

"Yeah, but who did they want to blow up?"

"Garrus, Shepard. I found something," Tarquin called from a short distance away. They both walked over to him, finding him crouching down next to a dead turian, "One of the colonists?"

"Most likely. Shot in the head. Poor man," He said a small prayer before standing up to walk with the other two.

"This doesn't add up, Shepard. All we've seen so far is one dead turian."

"I agree. Stay alert."

They advanced together through the weapons factory, yet to see anyone else, human or turian. "Hey Lola," Came James' voice into their ear pieces.

"Go ahead, James."

"Something is wrong here, Lola. I'm at the docks now. Full of ships and shuttles, but not one person at all."

"Same here, James. Keep looking and keep me posted."

"Aye Aye, Lola."

"Miranda, come in,"

"Shepard. We are at the district. There is not one person around. It's like a ghost town here."

"Ok. Meet up with the others and head back here. Something is amiss here.

"I know. I don't like it, Shepard. Be there shortly."

They waited for the rest of the crew to join them before heading deeper into the factory. Tarquin approached the main control centre, pressing buttons to view the camera footage. He scrutinised the footage, then he saw an answer to what happened. He saw what clearly looked like Cerberus soldiers, incapacitating the workers, then removing them from the site, "Shepard. You better watch this."

She approached the younger turian, turning to the console as he replayed what he had seen, "Cerberus. What the hell are they doing?" They kept watching as more and more workers were abducted, "Victus, take what information you can find on the computer. Fedorian will want to see it."

With a final sweep, they went back to the shuttle, none of them feeling asleep they accomplished much with the mission. Shepard sighed deeply, stretching out her neck, "Well that was successful."

"don't let it bother you, Shepard."

"It will bother me. Why has Cerberus decided to kidnap turians and humans?"

"If its Cerberus involved, then we know it's not good."

Shepard cast a look to Garrus narrowing her eyes, "So Garrus...do you know Victus and Fedorian well?"

"Well enough. They know my father, as do Sparatus and Oraka."

"What do you think of them, really?" Shepard knew that she was being a bitch, but she was being recorded and now she was going to mess with Garrus.

Garrus coughed slightly, trying to form words in his head, knowing who was listening, "Victus is a good man. A bit renegade but you could trust him with your life. Fedorian plays it by the book. Oraka knows war and retired at the top of his game. Sparatus, according to my father, could talk a dehydrated man into giving up his last drink of water."

Shepard hummed thoughtfully before leaning forward towards him, "I think they are weirdos who like secretly recording Alliance Commanders."

Garrus heard Oraka groan in his, knowing they busted, "How did you know?"

"Oh I don't give away my secrets, I just know. Did they enjoy the show?"

"They are a little disappointed. No gun fire and Commander Shepard blowing things up."

"Awwwww," She said, sweetly, "We still have to take Grunt back to Tuchanka, I'm sure that'll involve blowing things up."

"I hope so," Said Grunt from the corner.

"So you Aren't annoyed?" Garrus asked, cautiously, feeling like he was walking right into it.

"Oh I'm going to snap one of them in half when I see them."

Tarquin leant towards Shepard from his position next to her, "May I suggest Oraka. He would have mostly like instigated it."

"Now that is an excellent idea, Lieutenant."

Garrus held back his laughter as heard Oraka in his ear, "I wouldnt suggest it. Oraka would like it."

"Pervert probably would. Now turn it off," Garrus shut off the feed as the shuttle made it back to the ship.

Shepard headed up to her quarters to take a much needed shower. She stepped into the warm water letting the heat seep into her aching muscle. She set about washing her hair and body, scrubbing herself clean. Once she was satisfied with her cleanliness, she stepped out wrapping the towel around herself. As she stepped out of her bathroom, her private terminal bleeped, causing her to smile when she saw who it was calling her, "Well Hello, turian," She smiled as she sat down at her desk, grabbing her hair brush to brush her wet hair.

"Hello, wet human. Do you think you could lose the towel?"

Shepard smirked, "I could, but then you'd be so hard and I'm not there to help. It'd be cruel.

"That is true. Do you think you could get to Illium next week?"

"We have business there. Why?"

"I will also be in Illium. I have a luxurious suite and a big bed, all it needs a human."

"A human or _the_ human?"

"My human and we both know who that is. I've seen your report."

Shepard brushed her hair, the wetness making it look longer than normal, "Weird right. I'll so what else I can dig up. If I find anything I'll send it over."

"Just be careful, Lexi. I don't want Cerberus getting near you."

"I will be, Dec. I never asked, did you like my mother?"

"I can see where you get your beauty from and that smirk."

"My grandmother has that smirk too. Handed down woman to woman. My own daughters will develop that too."

"What is its purpose? To drive men crazy?"

Shepard laughed lightly, "You've learned our secret. Now I'll have to kill you."

"You would never. You have grown fond of me."

"I have, you Aren't so bad," She chuckled as he chuckled, "I've missed you."

"Same, but we knew it would be like this," He felt a sadness settle into him. There would be long periods when they were apart, but they could manage it as long as they were willing to put the effort into it, "But I'm willing to endure it."

"So am I," She yawned, stretching out her body, "I think it's time for me to say good night."

"Go to sleep Lexi . I'll message you in the morning."

"You'd better," She blew a kiss to him before shutting her terminal off. She wondered how they had gone from wanting to rip each others heads off to missing each other. They had moved from casual sex into something deeper, but she wouldnt allow herself to think it was love, more of a companionship. After the disasters in her life when it came to love, she'd accept it for what it was. She fell asleep, Sparatus on her mind, knowing she would be on his.


	6. Pillow talk

The Normandy docked at Illium, where she would stay for the next 4 days. Shepard had granted shore leave and a warning that she wont be bailing anyone out so they best behave themselves. She sat at her terminal, impatiently waiting for Sparatus to reply to her message. She had told him she had docked and now she wanted to know where to meet him. Her terminal pinged, making her jump slightly out of her deep thoughts, _"Meet me, penthouse apartment, west side, Azure hotel,"_ She frowned at the message, not even a warm greeting, more like a demand, "He's such an arsehole," She said aloud, standing up, grabbing her holdall as she left her quarters.

She got to the hotel, a baseball cap and sunglasses, hiding her face she made her way up in the lift to the penthouse. It stopped, the doors staying closed, "State your name," The VI asked. She replied and the doors opened, revealing a beautifully spacious apartment. Stepping inside, she took a look around, "Decian?" A box on one of the sofas caught her attention. Dropping her bag on the floor, she walked over to the box, picking up the card on the top, "Wear this," Was all it said. Slightly confused, she opened the box and pulled out several items of clothing. A lingerie set, a black leather skater skirt and black lace crop top. At the bottom were a set of black heels with silver chains over the top. Admittedly, it wasn't her usual style, but she was eager to try it on. She knew that Imra had picked the outfit, as suave as Sparatus was, he was clueless when it came to human fashion. She went into the bathroom to get ready, thankfully having already washed her hair in the shower, earlier that morning. Once she was satisfied with her look, she stepped out, only to find Sparatus standing by the doors of the balcony, holding two glasses of champagne in his hands. She walked to slowly to him, giving him a good view of how she looked, "Well?" She turned around, doing a full circle, then put her hands on her hips.

He hummed with pleasure, passing her a glass, "You look stunning," He pulled her to him, nipping slightly on her ear, "I might have to eat you later."

She chuckled, taking the tip of his left mandible in her mouth, sucking gently, "You can feast on me all night, but first I need actual food," He took her hand leading her to the balcony where dinner had been laid out for them, "Wow."

"I know that we cant be open about us, so this is as close as a date as I could get," He pulled her seat out, waiting until she sat down, before he took a seat himself, "I hope you like the food. Chocolate is for dessert."

"Oh Decian, that is just what a girl needs. A hot turian and chocolate."

"Hot? That's interesting. I thought you wanted to punch me," He chuckled, his mandibles fluttering, showing his laughter.

"There was a time when I did. Now it'd be like kicking a puppy. Especially now he knows what I like."

He kissed her hand, trilling a small sound of a desire, before going back to his food, "How did you know that Garrus was recording you?"

"EDI, the ships computer told me before I got down to the shuttle bay. I take it Oraka was the instigator in all that?"

"He was. He wants to get you in bed."

Shepard scoffed, "Only one turian gets me in bed."

"Who is he? I must have him killed."

Shepard stood up, moving to sit on his lap, "You might know him. Pretty influential, sexy, has a really deep voice and when he's trying to seduce me, it goes even lower," She let out a breathy moan when she felt his teeth nip at her neck, one hand in her hair, the other caressing her inner thigh, "You really did miss me."

"You have no idea. I longed to have you near me, just so I could touch you..." He probed at her already wet sex, groaning at how it felt just to touch her. He shifted her, helping her taking off her panties, entering a thick finger inside of her, making her moan, "I missed that beautiful harmony of noises you make when I touch you."

"Bed...now," Shepard breathed, barely able to concentrate on anything other than what he was doing to her. Suddenly, he withdrew his finger, picking her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He walked quickly to the bedroom, falling on to the spacious, his body on top of hers, "I apologise, Lexi. I haven't the patience for foreplay. I need to have you now."

"Just fuck me, Deci," She demanded, sitting up to pull her top off, only he moved to stop her.

"Let me have you like this," She nodded her head, laying back down on the bed, spreading her legs, opening herself up to him. She gasped when he entered her fully, his alien cock finding all the right places within her. She realised just how much she actually missed him, sure they talked but it just wasn't enough for either of them. They held on to each other as he moved in and out of her, unable to slow down. They'd have time to enjoy each other over the next few days, but for now, they had a need to satisfy.

He moved quickly, slipping his hand between them to massage her clit, eager to bring about her undoing just as much as his own. He felt her clench up around him, her moans becoming louder, the wonderful restriction he felt around him, causing him to speed up, desperately seeking release. With a roar, he came inside of her, collapsing against her chest, taking in the warmth of her body. They lay together for a while, coming back down from their orgasm high, "There's a hot tub here. You want to use it?"

Shepard practically threw Sparatus off of her, "Fuck yes!" She shouted back to him already half way to the bathroom and half naked.

He laughed as he got up from the bed, stripping off his clothes. He entered the bathroom to find her already in the tub, sipping on champagne, no clue as to where it came from, "Where to did you get that?" He asked, climbing into to the tub.

"That cupboard there was champagne in it. Dextro and Levo."

"Are you comfy?" He moved closer to her, propping his feet up near her head.

"Very much so. A warm five minute shower just doesnt do it for me."

"I saw your mother again before I left the Citadel. I think she was flirting with Adrien."

Shepard opened her eyes, leaning her head up to look at him, raising an eyebrow, "Oh really? Was he flirting back?"

"He certainly was. Much to Septimus' annoyance," He laughed, stretching out his body as the water worked its magic, "Lexi, what happened to your father?"

She scoffed, "You mean my sperm donor? He left us when I was 2. He cheated on my mother with her best friend. She got pregnant so he left. She demanded by mother and I had our names changed back to Hackett, but mum never did, just to piss her off."

"So those people claiming to be your siblings, really were?"

"Yes, my half siblings. I've never met them and have no desire to. My father didn't care about me growing up so I certainly don't care about the children he and his whore spawned over the years."

"Have you had contact with him?"

"After the battle of the Citadel, I had a message. I deleted it. No good could ever come out of contacting the man who abandoned me, nearly 30 years ago," She smiled sadly at him, then the memory of that scar shifted into her mind, "Dec, how did you get the scar?"

He shifted uncomfortably, before abruptly getting out of the hot tub and leaving he bathroom. Shepard felt like kicking herself, she knew that was a flight or fight response. It was obviously a painful memory and she had brought it into focus. She waited for half an hour before getting out of the hot tub. Drying herself off, she changed into a vest top and panties before entering the bedroom, finding it in darkness. She debated whether to leave or stay, deciding on the latter, not wanting to make him feel deserted. She got into bed, moving closer to him, wrapping an arm around his body.

"I was seven," He started, his voice filling the darkness, "My brother had been playing with father's guns. They were his pride and joy, we were never allowed to touch them. One of them discharged, shooting into father's display case where his military achievements where displayed. He came home, finding the carnage. Iden tells father that I did it," He let out a painful sound from his sub vocals, causing Shepard to hug him tighter, "Father gets out this thin metal stick, like a whip. He beat me with it for an hour while Iden watched and laughed, telling me he hated me. My father did it too hard, sliced my stomach open. He shoved some medigel on it and sent me to my room. I stayed there all night and all of next day, too terrified to move."

Shepard wiped a tear away, before stroking his fringe gently, "I get the feeling, I'm the only person in the galaxy who knows that."

"You are," He turned around to face her, "You understand pain, Lexi. It's a relief to tell someone that. Someone who understands."

"I'm pleased you trust me enough to tell me."

"It's funny isn't it, us together like this when before we used to antagonise each other."

"Yeah, I haven't hung up on you for ages," She smirked at him, earning a little nip on the neck, making her squeal.

"I used to piss you off on purpose if I had a bad day. I knew you'd argue and I needed that."

"My grandmother always said to me, that what we need most is always right there, we are just too blind to see it."

Sparatus moved into a comfortable position, taking her with him, her pressed against his side, "She has a point. I haven't had a drink since the day in my office."

She pulled back slightly in surprise. He always seemed so in control of himself, "You drink to numb everything?"

"Yes. Although lately, I don't seem to need it."

She chuckled, kissing his crest, "You've replaced one crutch for another."

"Yes, although you aren't bad for my health."

She smirked, moving her hand down to his seam, running a teasing finger along it, "I don't know about that. I've known men to stop breathing when I'm around."

He gripped on to her hips, pulling her on top of him, "I take it back. You'll be the death of me."

She threw head back in laughter, her long back hair cascading down her back, "Perhaps I should give you someone that will remind you that don't need to drink."

"Oh and what is that?" He asked, his hands caressing her inner thighs.

"Get your omni tool open, Mr Councillor," He did as she ordered, turning on the record function, "So Mr Councillor, if you are watching this, I'm not there but you need an incentive," She smirked at the camera as she pulled up her vest top up her body and over her head, chucking it on to a chair near by. Moving her hand down, disappearing into her panties as she played with herself, "Do you like that Councillor?"

He sliced a talon through the flimsy fabric, tearing them off, "Much better."

"Such a brute, Councillor," She moved lower, teasing his cock out from behind its plates. Taking it in her hand, she traced the lines and bumps, "It really its such a pretty cock, Decian. I love it when it's in me, but I love to suck on it," She smirked as he groaned. He'd do anything to get inside of her mouth and she loved to please him.

He watched as his cock disappeared into her hot mouth. He knew he wouldnt last if she continued to do what she was doing to him, watching as her pretty pink tongue tasted every inch of him. He whined as she pulled away, him popping out of her mouth with a soft noise, "You better not be finished, woman," He growled.

"I'm not, turian," She adjusted herself, holding his cock as she sunk down on him, "Now shut up and let me fuck you."

He lay transfixed on the human female on top of him as his cock slipped easily inside of her. She undulated her hips, back and forth in a gentle rhythm as she played with her breasts, head thrown back as she groaned. She glowed with euphoria as she hummed her pleasure with gasps and groans. He could have touched her but he found pleasure in watching her near the edge as he moved with her. He managed to keep recording as she massaged her clit, coming undone before his very eyes. He felt her orgasm around him, deliciously constricting his cock as she continued to move desperately above him. His chest rumbled as he felt himself ready to explode, "Spirits, Lexi," He roared as erupted within in. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her as she collapsed on top of him.

She looked up at him, her cheek pressed into his chest, "Incentive enough?"

He chuckled, stroking her hair, "I think so. Time for sleep now."

She moved next him, wrapping her body into his body, "Sleep sounds good," She sighed sleepily, her eyes closing easily. He laid listening to her sleep, the gentle breathing soothing him off to a deep sleep.

He woke in the morning, turning on his side, stretching out an arm, only to find the bed empty. He sat up, looking around the bedroom, "Lexi?" He called out. He got out of bed after getting no reply. He searched around the apartment, Shepard nowhere to be found, although her stuff was still were she left it. He walked out on to the balcony, smiling at the scene that greeted him. There Shepard lay asleep on a sun lounger, wearing his outer shirt. Discreetly, he took a picture of her as she lay, looking so beautiful and carefree. She stirred, muttering his name, eyes still closed, "I'm here," He soothed, sitting next to her.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching, "What time is it?"

"Just after 9."

She groaned as she stood up rushing to get her clothes, "I meant to be meeting Miranda in half an hour. She'll go nuts if I'm late."

Sparatus followed her, disappointment nagging at him, "When will you be back?"

"Not sure," Sensing his disappointment, she kissed his mouth plates gently, "I'll be back. Then I'm all yours for next 3 days."

"You better mean that, spectre."

"I do, Councillor. Missing you already," She walked towards the door, opening it, looking back to wink at him, "Don't you have a spectre classified assignment for me later?"

"I do. I'll contact you in due course with the details, Spectre," He watched as she left, not wanting her to go but he knew she had to, as much as he wanted her to himself, she had made commitments to her crew and she wouldnt let them down. He respected her for that.

* * *

Garrus stood in the forward batteries, trying to calibrate the guns, only something else had plagued his mind. During the mission with Miranda, Garrus had smelled what he thoughr was the scent of a turian male on Shepard. They were close friends but she never talked about her love life with him. Of course he knew about Kaidan, everyone on the SR-1 did, everyone just respected her too much to discuss it. It had really started to bug him, mainly because he recognised the scent, he just couldn't put a name to it. He sighed, putting down his tool, it was no good, he had to talk to her about it before she left the ship again, "EDI? Where's Shepard?"

"Shepard is currently in her quarters. Her door is green if you wish to speak to her, Officer Vakerian."

"Thank you, EDI," He left he forward batteries, heading to the lift, passing several crew members on the way. As the lift made its way to the deck one, Garrus thought about how to best approach the subject with her. He didn't really want to ask her outright about which turian she was sleeping with but it was probably the best way to ask.

Shepard sat on the edge of her bed, shifting her dog tags between her hands as she waited for Garrus to arrive. She knew he had smelled Sparatus' scent on her skin, the way his mandibles had flared was evidence enough to her and knowing her best friend, he was on his way now to ask her about what was going on. In all honesty she had no clue as to how she was going to tell him about her affair with the councillor, she had planned things to say before now but they all seemed hollow and rehearsed, he deserved something more than just an insincere explanation, "Hey big guy. What's up," She asked lightly as she put a data pad down and stood up from the bed as he walked into her cabin.

He fiddled with his hands, shuffling his feet, "Shepard, there's something I need to ask you."

"Oh. What is that?" She knew exactly what he wanted to ask. She stayed a distance from him in case Sparatus was still all over her.

"Which turian are sleeping with?" There it was, the question, lingering in the air as he studied the look on her face.

She stood there trying not to look at her friend, she just knew he could smell her lover on her, she was stupidly careless to think he wouldnt, "What makes you think I'm sleeping with a turian?" She asked, sheepishly, trying to look innocent.

"I could smell him on you this morning. Who is it?"

She sighed deeply, approaching her friend, knowing she just couldn't lie to him, he was too important to her, "Garrus, before I tell you, please keep your mind open when I explain myself."

He nodded, leading her down to the sofa, "So who is it? I recognise the scent so I've narrowed the list down."

"It's Councillor Sparatus," She looked away, burying her head in her hands.

Garrus felt like he'd been punched in the face. She was sleeping with Sparatus, a man who she had declared number one on her kill list, no less than 16 occasions, "Sparatus? Shepard why, he's an asshole."

She laughed lightly, reluctantly turning to look at him, "I know. I suppose I should explain myself. My father left when I was two, I haven't seen him in 30 years. The one man I should be able to rely on in my life, turned out to be a huge let down. That has been the main theme in my life when it came to men. I was engaged once, you know."

That statement surprised Garrus greatly. They were very close and he loved her like a sister, that was probably why they didn't discuss their respective love lives, "When was this?"

"It was about 15 years ago now, before I joined the Alliance He was doctor, I was madly in love with him. He was twenty years older than me and I think that's what I liked. I could have that love from an older man. He got a vulnerable impressionable girl. No father around and mother often away on assignments. Not that I ever resented her for that. He pressured me into doing a lot of things. I fell pregnant and I was terrified, he said he'd sort it. He took me to a clinic and talked me into an abortion. He didn't even stay to take me home. I never saw him again after that."

Garrus moved closer to Shepard as he saw the tears drop from her eyes, "You don't have to explain it, Shepard."

"No, I want to. Garrus, there are four men in this galaxy I know who would never treat me like my father and my ex did. Hackett, Anderson, Joker and you."

"Me?" He trilled in surprise. For the first time since he'd known her, he was seeing the raw, vulnerable Shepard. She trusted him implicitly and for that trust, he would follow her to the pits of death and back.

"Yeah. We haven't known each other that long really but you've always stuck by me, no matter what happened or where we went. You are like the brother that I should have."

He gave her a gentle squeeze, "Or the brother you do have. Now continue."

"There have been a few flings since then, but along came Kaidan. I thought he loved me, truly believe that he did. But when he called me a traitor, that was like a knife in the heart."

"I think I get what you are saying, Shepard. The men in your life have let you down when you give them your heart. You expect Sparatus to do the same."

"Almost. He's married, so I know what to expect from him. We can meet and have sex without the complication of it turning into something else. When it ends, I'll move on."

"So why even bother if you know it'll end?"

"Because it fills the hole. A fling that gives me what I need and when I need it. That is good enough for now."

Garrus wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, "Ok Shepard, I guess I can understand. Still doesnt mean I have to like it though."

"Pretty normal for a brother. I know you'll be giving hassle to any man who looks at Solona."

"Too right. I expect you to help too."

Shepard's omni tool pinged, signalling a message. She moved to read it, smiling at the contents, trying to hide her grin from Garrus, "Its from Sparatus. He's finished with the meetings now."

"You better go to him then, I'll make sure the crew behave. Will you tell him I know?"

"Yeah. No point in hiding it from him."

"Tell him, if he hurts you, I'll break him in two."

Shepard laughed, hugging her friend tightly, "I will. I'll tell him, its a warning from a protective brother," She left the ship that night feeling slightly better. Having held on to those painful memories, it felt good to tell them to someone she could trust and who cared enough to share her pain. She knew that Sparatus wouldnt be a permanent fixture in her life, but she grateful to Garrus for sticking around.


	7. Which Shepard?

Sparatus looked out of the window of his Cipritine hotel room. He had just spoke to Shepard, letting her know he had arrived safely, then talk turned to her recent assignments. First she had been sent to the Aethon Cluster to instigate reports of a missing Alliance cruiser, then to Alchera, to the wreckage of her ship. He had disbelieved that she truly had died when the SR-1 had been destroyed, but she never strayed from the same story and the more he spoke to her, the more he realised the truth. He didn't like the idea of her going alone like she planned to, because he knew how it would effect her. Her crew meant everything to her and losing them in the way she did, would be an ache in her heart for every one who died. He wouldnt even be there to comfort her as their careers would keep them apart for the next two months at least. They had been in their relationship for six months and although, they spent time apart, the relationship had grown. Sparatus felt himself falling for her, in need of her company. But he shied away from that kind of thinking, they had very little chance of a future and letting her go would be painful for him.

Oraka strolled in casually, holding a bottle of turian brandy, "Decian, never thought we'd actually get you here."

"This was easier, instead of dealing with your incessant nagging."

Oraka trilled in amusement, "I'm not your wife, Decian."

"Haha, where are the others?"

"They'll be here soon," He opened up his omni tool, chest rumbling with desire, "Have you seen the pictures of Shepard in that skimpy little outfit."

Sparatus tried to hide his own amusement. He had seen those pictures and paid for the outfit. She had modelled it for him and he got to peel it off of her, "Oh spirits, what did you find?"

"There's pictures on the net of her wearing, what they call, a bikini," He held out his arm, showing his friend the pictures, "Look at that body. She could ride me all night long."

"You need help," He resisted the urge to laugh, knowing that Shepard had ridden him many times, he even had it recorded. Not that he'd ever share it with any one.

"How do you not see what other men see?" Oraka questioned.

"What am I missing, Septimus?"

"A very fuckable woman, who could kick your ass?"

"Is he still talking about those damn pictures?" Both men turned to see Victus walk in with Fedorian beside him, "We have suffered all week with those."

"You know they are probably doctored," Fedorian added.

Sparatus felt smug satisfaction rise in his body. He knew those pictures were definitely untouched, after all, he had spent a lot of time, exploring every inch of her body. Every freckle, scar he had touch and memorised, "As attractive as the outer shell might be, it is very shallow."

All the men trilled in delight, "Aha!" Oraka shouted, jabbing a finger at his friend, "So you do find her attractive."

Sparatus could have kicked himself, "I didn't say I found her attractive. I said that it might attractive outside, but not inside."

"Find who attractive?" Nihlus asked as walked in with Corinthus and some other turians.

"Commander Shepard," Victus replied.

"Oh, she is," Corinthus replied, rather enthusiastically, "Inside and out."

Oraka laughed, a little mischievousness in his tone, "You know who else is attractive?"

"Who?" They all asked in a chorus.

"Admiral Shepard or our dear friends future bond mate."

Victus groaned, his mandibles clenching tight, "Not this again."

Fedorian took the brandy from Oraka's hand and poured himself a glass, "Now she is rather attractive. She exudes confidence. She's the original Shepard."

"How do you figure that out?" Nihlus asked, "Commander Shepard is a Spectre and a good one at that. She's also out on the front lines all the time."

Sparatus slipped away into the bathroom as they got into a debate about both Shepards. He shook his head, laughing at the intensity in which Fedorian and Nihlus had expressed their opinions. Shepard had to know, she would find it funny and probably encourage him to egg them on. He opened up a chat request to her private extranet address and waited for her to accept.

_ETC request_ _: Shepard, L. Satu Arrd, Aethon Cluster_ _._ _13_ _:00 Local._

_DS: They are debating who is better, you or your mother._

_LS: Oh, really? And you aren't defending my honour? I'm crushed._

_DS: I'm staying out of it. I've already admitted that I find you attractive._

_LS: Awwwww, so sweet. So who is on my team?_

_DS: Nihlus and Corinthus. Fedorian and Victus are on your mother's team._

_LS: And my favourite flirty General?_

_DS: On the fence..._

_LS: Ha! Get out there and defend me. Remember, I let you play with me._

_DS: What shall I say? You are good with your mouth or you like it rough?_

_LS: Or that I scream in turian swear words when you make me cum..._

_DS: I'll tell them that you do as I ask, just you give me attitude for it._

_LS: Oh and that I hang up on you when you piss me off._

_DS: I thought I was defending you._

_LS: Yes, who else would have the guts?_

_DS: Good point..._

_LS: Right, now go. Call me later, handsome._

_DS: I will, beautiful._

_Shepard, L is off line._

He rejoined his friends as they were still discussing both women, "Are you still talking about them?"

"Yeah. Decian, who would you say is the better Shepard?"

"Unfortunately, I've only met Admiral Shepard a handful of times, when I have had the displeasure of interacting with the Commander on several occasions. From what I can tell, the Admiral is hard-working, honest, and fair whereas the Commander is irritating, arrogant, and blunt; and she has hung up on me and the Council numerous times just to piss me off. So, if I had to choose, then I would have to say the Commander for pure guts alone."

The men laughed, Oraka being the loudest, "What she do, cut you off mid sentence?"

Sparatus grunted with annoyance, "That is exactly what she does. I can just imagine the smirk on her face afterwards. Often spurred on by the pilot."

Fedorian's omni bleeped, making his grunt in annoyance, "I told them not to disturb me," He tapped the accept button, "What is it, Erena?"

"Sir, sorry to disturb you," Her hurried voice came over the com, "Reports have come in about an attack on the SSV Normandy, while in the Aethon Cluster. They manage to get to through the relay, the Indomitable has dragging her Palaven. I think its bad, Primarch."

"Clear the docks of all ships and make sure emergency crews are on stand by."

"Yes sir," He shut of the comm and stood up quickly, "We better get down there."

Sparatus followed the other to the docks as a crowd had gathered waiting for the Normandy to dock. When it came into view, a chorus of shocked gasps echoed around the docking area. He couldn't believe his eyes at the amount of damage she had taken. The port side wing had been badly hit, barely holding together. The hull had been breached in several areas. Yes, she'll could be repaired but it would take time to do it, "We need to inform the Alliance, Lorin."

Fedorian turned to his friend, "I'll talk to them, you have a Spectre on that ship, you deal with that."

Sparatus said goodbye to Fedorian, then pushed through the crowds at the docks. He stopped at the docking bay, waiting for the crew to disembark. As they filed out, he started to get nervous about Shepard as the injured crew were the last out. He preyed to the spirits that she was ok. Then the door open again, revealing Garrus, with an human arm slung around neck, just above his Carapace. The owner of that arm quickly came into view as he stepped forward. Shepard was hopping on one foot, not able to put her right foot down. Another male, a human, was at her other side, helping her stay steady.

He approached her, trying to keep his demeanour cool, "Spectre, Is it bad?"

"It's fine," She winced as she tried to put her foot down, "Doesnt even hurt."

He tried not to laugh, making a small sound he knew only Garrus would hear, "I still think it would be prudent to get it check out. You humans aren't exactly tough."

"Fuck you, Councillor," She fired back, Garrus and James leading her away before she could spit out any more insults.

Sparatus heard some laughing from behind him, Oraka, Nihlus and Victus, trying desperately to hold it in, "Something funny?" He asked, a brow plate raised.

Oraka clenched his fluttering mandibles, as he tried to speak, "No, not at all. It's just, we now know why she hangs up on you."

He trilled his displeasure at Oraka before looking towards the limping Commander, "Yes, and we all know why she wont sleep with you. She has class at least." He retorted before walking away, planning to visit Shepard about her little bit of sass.

Shepard lay in bed, bored to death and slightly high on pain meds. After an examination, she was relieved to learn her ankle was sprained but not broken, meaning she'd be able to stay in a hotel room with TV and room service, instead of in a hospital bed, bored to shit, getting sick on hospital food. She was about to doze off when the door to her room slid open. Looking up, she saw Sparatus walking in, "Human's aren't tough, huh," She asked with a huff.

"Shall I fuck off now, as you so eloquently put it earlier?"

"Hey, I was in pain. Now shut the fuck up and kiss me, I need it."

He sighed as he pressed his mouth to hers, her lips gently tasting the tough skin of his mouth, "Better?" He whispered against her lips.

"Yes," She purred, tugging at a mandible with her teeth.

"So they said it wasn't broken. They'll release you soon. Your crew have been given accommodation. I've found you a room next to mine."

She laughed, her shoulders shaking, "Are you planning to seduce a Council Spectre?"

"I don't need to," He murmured into her neck as he nipped at her skin.

"Oh, why is that?" She gasped as he hand slipped under the fabric of her vest top.

"Because I've already done it."

"Such a fucking ego," She teased as he hands pawed at her breasts. He moved the bar of her bed down and pulled her towards him, her legs either side of his hips, "In the hospital? My, my Councillor, I'm surprised at you."

"Hush now little human. I've missed you," He kissed her collar bone before moving down to her stomach. Hooking his talons around the hem of her shorts, ready to pull them down when the door slid open, revealing Garrus and Victus. All of them paused, awkward and not sure what to do. It was obvious to them all, they were seconds away from Shepard being naked from the waist down.

Sparatus cleared his throat stepping away from Shepard, "I...I was just helping Shepard get up."

Victus stayed silent while Garrus laughed, "In a hospital, Shepard? I knew you were into kinky stuff but public sex...?"

Victus and Sparatus turned to him, "You knew?" They said in unison.

"Of course I do. I've been smelling you on her after shore leave for months."

Sparatus turned to Shepard, crossing his arms across his chest, "Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged her shoulders, getting back on the bed properly, "I forgot. Didn't seem important."

"So, that's why you seem so much happier lately," Victus said in a teasing tone.

He coughed in embarrassment, if he'd had been a human, he'd have been blushing, "Possibly."

"So how long has it been going on?" He asked, moving to the other side of Shepard's bed.

"About six months. Just happened one day in his office."

Victus and Garrus together as if they thought about the same thing, "Oraka is going to hate you, Decian."

"It's not my fault, Adrien. Shepard is a grown woman, she picks who she likes."

"Talk of the devil," Shepard said quietly as Oraka, Fedorian, Corinthus and Nihlus walked in, "More turian visitors, lucky me."

Oraka stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Shepard. She only had a vest top and shorts on, revealing nearly as much skin as she did in the bikini, "Its a pleasure to see you again, Commander. didn't think I get to see so much."

Shepard rolled her eyes, "You know Garrus has actually seen me naked."

All eyes turned to Garrus as he shrugged his shoulders, "SR-1 had communal showers. I've seen a lot of naked humans."

Shepard looked up at him, sighing fondly at these days, "You were my first turian."

"And you were my first human. Many things were discussed things in the showers."

"Those were good times. No Shepard without Vakerian."

Oraka scoffed, watching the easy interaction between the two of them. "Are you sure, you two aren't..."

"Pretty sure. We tried it once, got drunk and passed out. Was like kissing my brother."

Sparatus growled deeply in his throat, his arms crossed tighter across his chest. "Excuse me, as interesting as this is, I want to know why this is relevant to anything going on right now. Oraka, you are forbidden to speak of any of this to anyone outside of this room, do you understand?"

Oraka growled back, "What the fuck is wrong with you? Wife get you in debt again?"

Victus nudged him, giving him a warning signal, "Leave it, Septimus."

Shepard could see the situation getting out of control, deciding to step in, "The Councillor and I have some Spectre business to discuss. So if you don't mind..."

Garrus ushered them towards the door, "Right. Lets go get some drinks while these two talk business."

Watching as they left, Shepard waited until the door closed, "What was that about?"

"You tell me," He huffed in reply.

"You growled like you were going rip Oraka's throat out."

"He was flirting with my mate. It's a turians instinct to warn other males off the female. What about you and Garrus?"

"What about me and Garrus?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"Oh, he was your first turian," He mocked.

"Ok, you stop right there. If you want to be with me, you gotta accept that Garrus is a huge part of my life, along with Joker. I wouldnt give up either of them, not even for you, because they have stuck by me and saved my ass more times than I can count."

"Have you ever tried to sleep with your pilot?"

"I have stuck my tongue down his throat after too much beer and that's as far as it goes with him," She manoeuvred herself off the bed, standing on her good leg, "I love Garrus and Joker, like I love my own brother. It's you I'm choosing to be with."

Sparatus knew this to be true, he had heard the stories recounted numerous times by several different sources. While he knew the truth, it still did not please him to hear of his mate speaking that way. He sighed, shaking his head. He felt ashamed that he was doubting Shepard when he had no reason to. He was the married one, he had mark her yes, but he had not made any other commitment to her. He looked down at his gloved hands, realising he had never touched her without them, even in bed, kept them on so he wouldnt hurt her. Without a second thought, he removed his gloves, before reaching up to caress her face. In an instant, bolts of electricity moved through his body, as her soft skin reacted to his touch, "It amazes me, how can something so deadly, feel so soft and delicate?"

She hummed sweetly, as he found more skin to caress, "Why did you take your gloves off?"

"We normally keep them on, even around loved ones. I've never been without gloves in the presence of another."

"What does it mean?"

"Commitment."

She stopped for a split second at his answer. She had never expected anything from him, certainly not any sign of commitment, but if he was offering it, then she would take it, "Get me out of here. I need a bath and hot turian."

He laughed softly, letting her go to put his gloves back on, "You have one of those things, I'll go work on the other," He left to see if she could be released, coming back ten minutes later, "They said you can go if you rest and don't do anything strenuous."

She snorted out a laughed, "Well I guess, you'll be doing all the work this evening."

"I'm willing to do that."

"Good. I need the sort of healing only a hot turian could provide," Once they got to the hotel room, the bath had been given a miss in favour of falling into bed. After Shepard had been fully sated, Sparatus watched her as she slept. A deadly, fearsome solider, looking like a delicate angel that he wanted to protect and protect her he would.


	8. Turians do it better

Sparatus woke to the sensation of his human lover, moving in her sleep, a gentle moan escaping from her lips. He turned to face her, smiling at how she looked so angelic. He was glad that she was still asleep, knowing she didn't always sleep well, he let her get as much as she needed when ever they were together.

He got up from the bed, stretching his body, before walking out to the balcony. He admired the views, watching as the sky cars, flew past. He missed Palaven at times, often wishing that he could be there more, instead of playing politics on the clean and bland Citadel. He sighed, as his omni tool pinged. Raising his arm, to open it up, his eyes widened when he realised who was calling. He quickly looked into the bedroom to confirm that Shepard was still asleep. He tapped the accept button, preying to the spirits, she stayed asleep. "Hello Arene," He said through gritted teeth.

"Oh so you remember who I am. Where have you been?"

"I've been really busy with the guys, then some crisis."

"I thought we would have some time together. Between work and your wife, I never get a look in."

"I know. I'm just busy. I'll come and meet you soon."

"You've got an hour. I'm on the other side of the hotel, penthouse 3. Be here!"

"I will. See you soon," He shut down his omni tool, stepping back into the bedroom to see Shepard just starting to stir. He sat on the bed next to her, stroking her cheek, "Morning beautiful," He whispered, watching with awe as she rubbed her eyes, giving him a sleepy smile.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"It's after ten. You've not been sleeping well?"

She stretched out before reaching out to him, tugging gently on one of his mandibles, "I sleep better with you."

"Then we'll have to spend more time together. I'm sure I can find reasons to get you back to the citadel," He kissed her gently, pulling her close to him, "Listen. I have a meeting to go to. Should only be an hour. Will you be ok?"

"Yeah. If I need anything, I'll get one of the crew. Plus I can stand on my ankle now, only aches a bit."

"Good. I'll be back soon," With a kiss, he left her in bed, heading to the other side of the massive hotel. He used the code she gave to get in, finding Arene naked on the bed. There was a time, he'd have stripped and immediately joined her, but all he could think about was a beautiful human woman, laying in another bed, waiting for him to return, that's where he wanted to be. She was the first person to see the man inside, not asking for money or favours, nothing for her own benefits, she only wanted him. He moved to the sofa, taking a seat, "Arene, we need to talk."

"What about, Deci?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice, pouting her lips.

"I wont be needing your services any more. I've decided to try and make things work with my wife. She wants children, so it's only fair."

"But Decian, we've had three years together. Are you really going to lose me for that woman?"

He stood up, walking to the door, "We both know, you only want me for the money. I only have room for one money grabbing bitch," He walked out, not willing to discuss it any further. Shepard deserved more than to be second mistress after a money grabbing, asari escort. If he could get rid of his wife, then he and Shepard might have a chance at a future.

He got back to Shepard's room, to find her standing naked at the bathroom mirror, rubbing cream into her face. He growled lowly, as her enticing body was displayed to him. She turned, giving him the smirk that he was growing to adore, "You're back early."

He stripped off his clothes, before moving behind her, caressing her hips and sides, "I managed to cancel it. Wasn't important," He nipped at her neck, hands moving to cup her breasts eagerly, "I need you, little human."

Shepard gasped as his hands roamed all over her body, "You'll have to carry me, my ankle suddenly hurts again."

He turned her around, picking her up in his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, "I'll carry you any where."

She laughed, burying her face into his neck, "That sounded romantic, Councillor."

"Shhh. Let me have my moment," Together they fell on to the bed and he settled his weight on to her, keeping her pinned beneath him. They kissed deeply, slowly, only wanting to enjoy each other. The unwelcome sound of his omni tool, interrupted them, making them both huff in annoyance. Sparatus sat up, checking his omni tool, swearing in his mother tongue as he angrily tapped out a message, "I will kill, Adrien. I have to go."

"I should go and find my crew. Make sure they aren't causing diplomatic incidents."

"That's your job, isn't it?" He fluttered his mandibles in quiet laughter as she narrowed her eyes at him. He watched her as he dressed, her scent engulfing his senses as she brushed her long hair.

"If you weren't so sexy, I'd kick your ass."

"Oh. Can we do that later?"

"Just go! We'll meet up this evening."

* * *

Sparatus arrived at Victus' apartment, fuming at his interruption. When the door opened, he growled, "You have great timing, Adrien."

Victus laughed, "Did interrupt something?"

"Yes," He hissed, "I had Shepard naked and underneath me."

"Sorry about that. I wanted to talk about that," Victus offered to pour his friend a drink, who nodded in acceptance.

"Shepard and I?" He took the drink and sat down on a large leather sofa.

"Mmmm. More what it's like to be with a human," Victus took a seat opposite him, "Admiral Shepard is on her way to Palaven. She wants to meet up while she is here."

"Ah. So want you advice. On what? Wooing a human or just fucking one?"

"Both."

Sparatus' mandibles flexed amused, "I should have known I'd become the expert in this area eventually."

"You are the only turian I know that has had a human."

"So what is it that you want to know?" He asked, getting comfortable on the sofa.

"What does Shepard like? In and out of bed."

"Well, out of bed, she easy to please. She just likes my company. We talk, play, cook together. In bed, she's very demanding. She likes me using my tongue and likes it rough."

Victus coughed awkwardly, "Ermmm, tongue?"

"Spirits, Adrien! Look up the vids. Have you not heard of oral sex?"

Victus coughed again, "Has Shepard done that to you?"

Sparatus' just rumbled in satisfaction and desire as he remembered last nights antics, "Several times."

"What's it like?"

He sighed fondly, thinking in detail, "It's like being on drugs. Being in a warm, inviting mouth. A hot tongue, teasing and massaging, setting every nerve alight. She'll build me up, but slowly and gently. Before I know it, I'm at the very top, floating out of my own body and so damn high I don't even know where the fuck I am any more. She knows how to please me."

Victus sat in silence, unsure of what to say. He couldn't deny that he was feeling a little jealous. Now he just wanted Hannah Shepard all the more, "Spirits, Decian. Tell me the truth, are you falling for Shepard?"

"Oh, that'd be great for my career. Falling for a human," He scoffed.

"Really, Decian?"

"Drop it, Adrien," He warned lowly, growling slightly.

"Fine. But I've know you for too long. You're in love with Shepard and I can understand why."

"So why is Admiral Shepard coming here?" Sparatus asked, trying to change the subject.

"Diplomatic purposes," replied Victus without missing a beat.

Sparatus scoffed, "I'm sure the Alliance will find all in order with one of their ships."

"Now tell me. Are you in love with Shepard?" Victus gave him a hard glare, determined to extract the truth from his friend.

Sparatus huffed, swallowing hard, "Yeah," Strangely, he felt lighter after accepting his feelings for her.

"I thought so. Advice from an old friend?"

"Go on."

"Don't throw it away. This is happiest you've been in a long time."

"Thanks, Adrien."

* * *

Shepard waited at the dock for her mother to disembark the Orizaba. She was excited to see her mother, as they never really got much time with them both serving. The door to the docking tube opened revealing her mother, "Hey mother ship."

"Hello, my little fighter," She embraced her daughter, kissing her on the cheek, "How is the leg? You look lovely."

"Thanks. Its a bit sore. I've given my report to David and Steven."

"Good. I'm just here to make sure all is in order. Might pay Adrien a visit too."

Shepard laughed, nudging her mother in the side with her elbow, "I heard you've been flirting with General Victus."

Hannah raised an eyebrow at her daughter, "Oh. Who told you that?"

Shepard stutter, trying to think of a good lie, "Was trying to annoy Councillor Sparatus, he told me."

"You've never been able to lie to me convincingly. I know you've been seeing someone."

"Mum, please don't make a big deal out of it," Shepard groaned.

"I wont," Hannah moved in front of her, "I know you'll tell me eventually."

"I will, its just super complicated at the moment."

"Baby. All I want is for you to find the right kind of person. Someone who really appreciates just how amazing my girl is."

"What about you? You still turn heads."

Hannah linked arms with her and they continued to walk, heading to the club where Shepard's crew would be, "That's where Adrien Victus comes in."

Both women arrive at the club and spotted the crew with the turians, "Hey mum, now is your chance to get some turian in you," She sniggered, childishly.

"Don't be so rude, child," She admonished.

Shepard scoffed, "As if you weren't thinking about it," She spotted Sparatus talking with Victus away from the others. Suddenly, she was glad she put her N7 dress on. Judging by his hungry stare, he liked it, "I'm going to annoy the Councillor."

Hannah grabbed her arm as she walked away, "Turians? Worth it?" She whispered.

"Best sex ever," She whispered in reply.

"That's all I need to know. Go and tease your turian so I can get mine."

Sparatus watched as the Shepard women were in deep discussion, watching him and Victus. She looked positively criminal in the dress she wore, he wasn't the only turian who noticed. He could hear the rumbles of lust from men nearby, using only all his willpower not to hurt them. She strolled over to him, slipping into a seat next to him, "Evening, Spectre."

"Evening, Councillor," She crossed her legs, purposely brushing against him, "Enjoying yourself?"

"I am now," He got closer to her, to whisper in her ear, "Every man in here wants to fuck you."

"One of them will get lucky," She shrugged, taking a sip of the drink she just ordered.

He growled lowly, "That better be me or we'll have trouble."

Shepard looked around to see Hannah leaving the club with Victus, "You wont be the only turian getting lucky with a human. I hope Victus has got as much stamina as you."

"Your mother will soon find out. But enough of that, I'm feeling hungry and I'd rather you be on the menu."

She stood up, stumbling against him, the drinks going to her head, lingering a little to whisper in his ear "Here's the deal Councillor. I'm really horny and I'm not going to make it back to my hotel room. I'll be in one of the private rooms upstairs."

He watched her walk away, giving it a few minutes before following. It was going to be a fun night.


	9. A bump in the road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Hope it was worth the wait.

Shepard walked through the CIC towards Joker on the bridge, holding two steaming cups of coffee and a data pad tucked up under her arm, "Morning Handsome."

Joker turned to face his Commander taking the cup she offered, "How's that for service," He joked sourly, blowing the liquid before taking a sip.

"Just showing my love to the best pilot in the galaxy."

His hand stilled the cup midway to this mouth, looking up at her with an arched eyebrow, "Ok, what are you after?"

"Nothing," She cried, indignantly, "I just came to spend time with my friend."

"Take a seat, Commander. We can discuss this new hobby of yours. You know, the one where you collect dangerous aliens as pets."

She huffed, rolling her eyes, "Miranda said they'd be an asset to the team."

"Yes. A team that Cerberus wanted you to build. You followed that advice, even after you told the Illusive man to go fuck himself."

"Ok, Joker. Who shoved a rat up your ass this morning?"

"You did!" He turned his chair back around to face the console, "One drink, you said. How are you not even hungover?"

"Fancy upgrades," She replied, tapping herself on her head.

"Good for you, Commander. Now let me hangover in peace."

Shepard sat on the edge of his chair, tossing the data on to his lap, "Nope, it's your birthday, I'm staying right here."

"Thanks for the new cap," He pulled at the fabric, secretly pleased that Shepard remembered, "Not enough people know that I'm the greatest pilot in the galaxy."

"Well, now they will."

"Commander?" Ensign Copeland called out over the comm.

"Go ahead, Ensign."

"Ma'am. Councillor Sparatus is on the line."

"Thank you, Ensign. I'll take it in the conference room."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am."

"You know….." Joker drawled out, looking at her with a shit eating grin, "The Councillor calls you a lot."

"Joker, do we need to have that talk again about learning to keep your mouth shut?"

"Protest all you want, I know what I know."

Shepard rolled her eyes as she got up from the chair, "See you later, asshole." She got to the conference room, making sure both doors where shut before bringing the Councillor into view, "Can I help you Councillor?"

"I have classified business to discuss with you," His demeanour, professional and stern.

"I'm on my own."

He sighed in relief, "I've missed you, beautiful," His voice instantly softening.

She chuckled, blushing pink as she always did when called her that. "I missed you, handsome."

"Spirits, I love it when you blush like that," The relaxed around them both, despite the fact they were separated, the connection could still be felt as if they were in the same room, "How is my favourite Spectre?"

"Better now, I'm talking to you."

"Flirt! Thank you for the picture, by the way. I put it by my bed."

"I only sent it to assert my presence in your home. No getting rid of me now."

"Good, because your mother has been sending me boxes of your stuff to me."

Shepard's eyes widened comically, "Oh, what stuff?"

"Clothes, personal items…..Home videos," He teased.

"And you, being such a nosy turian, just had to watch them?"

"I did. You were so adorable. Destructive but adorable."

"Oh shush, you'll ruin my bad girl rep," She laughed as she saw him cover his mouth.

"Lexi?"

"What is it, Dess?"

"I love you."

Shepard gasped as she could feel her heart bursting out of her chest, "I love you. God, it's such a relief to finally say it."

"I've felt that way for a long time. I wanted to say it in person, but I couldn't wait. Where are you headed?."

"Illium. Got some things to take care of. An old friend is asking for my help."

"Will you be coming to the Citadel soon? I've been missing you."

"Next week. We've been granted some shore leave," She smirked, biting at her lip, "Now, if only there was a super sexy turian willing to share his bed with me…." She teased.

"And the shower, sofa…. sky car, office, bathrooms at purgatory…."

"You know, I have a whole ship to share too. I've always wanted to fuck you in Joker's chair."

Sparatus growled, "That can easily be arranged."

"I have to go," She hated having to say good bye to him, but she knew she couldn't talk to him constantly, they just had to make the time count, "I love you."

"I love you, too." She watched as he disappeared from view, sad that it would be a while before she got to hear his voice again.

" _Don't you dare have sex in my chair!"_

"Joker! You were listening?" She hissed out, the nerve of the man for eavesdropping.

" _I love you, Lexi,"_ He mocked, trying to sound like the Councillor, _"You need to get your head tested, Shepard. If you wanted to fuck a turian, couldn't you just opt for Garrus?"_

"Fuck you, Joker. I hope you like turian spunk on your chair, because that will happen now."

" _Only if I leave the chair."_

Shepard snorted, "We don't need you to leave the chair," She warned, her voice menacingly low.

" _Alright. I'm sorry. I'll play nice."_

"Good boy. Now be a dear and set a course for Illium."

* * *

Shepard took Tali and Garrus with her to visit Liara, since neither had seen her in two years, long overdue for a visit. They walked up to her office, just catching the end of her conversation.

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before. Few humans have."

Shepard looked back to Tali and Garrus, all three almost laughing, considering how mild mannered she was back on the SR-1.

"I'll make it simple. Either you pay me or I flay you alive. With my mind." Liara turned, seeing her friends standing in the door way, "Shepard. You got my message."

Shepard hugged her friend, before moving aside to let the others do the same, "Yeah, you said it was important."

"My friend, Feron, went missing. I believe it has something to with the shadow broker." Liara sat down, guilt etched into her face, "Shepard, I didn't tell you how Cerberus got your body."

"No, you didn't."

"I gave you to them. They said they could bring you back and they did. Feron was paid by the shadow broker to bring your body to him, but he gave you to me instead."

"Now, the shadow broker wants pay back?"

"I suspect so. Can you help me, Shepard?"

"Commander Shepard?"

"Go ahead, EDI."

"Forgive the intrusion. My database has references to the shadow broker."

"You up for it, Liara?"

"Of course. Come to my apartment later." Liara left her office, leaving Shepard and the other talking to her assistant.

Shepard arrived at the apartment, confused as to why, Illium police were there, "What's happened?" She asked the asari officer by the door.

"This area is sealed off. Please step back."

"Sealed off? Why?"

"Someone tried to kill your friend," Shepard's attention was drawn to the stairs as an asari in full armour walked down them. After the woman dismissed the annoyed officers, she introduced herself, "Tela Vasir, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."

"A Spectre?"

"I heard you were reinstated."

"Mmm, death doesn't stop you being a Spectre."

Vasir smirked, "So did you have business with your friend?"

"She was following up a lead on the Shadow broker."

"The Shadow broker? That's a dangerous enemy to have."

"What happened?"

"Someone took a pop at the good doctor. Stuck around a while before leaving. Must have been important."

"I'm gonna look around," Shepard took a look around, eventually heading upstairs. She picked up a picture of the Normandy, watching as it changed to an image of Eden Prime, _"Hmm…..something prothean,"_ She thought to herself. She looked around, finding what Liara had hidden for her, "Vasir, I got something."

"A back up disc. Lets play it."

After they watched the disc, they headed up to the Baria Frontier offices. It wasn't long before it all went to shit, making her way up through the building fall to bits due to bomb damage. Before long, she found in a fire fight with the Shadow broker's army, shooting her way through mercs, finally reaching Liara's contact.

She faced another fire fight after Liara exposed Vasir as her would be killer, heading out of the building to a sky car bay. "Come on," Liara shouted, "She's getting away."

"There she is," Liara pointed out as the chased her through Illium.

"I'm on her."

"She's not escaping with that data." Liara gripped the edge of the seat as Shepard made another sharp left turn. "Go, go, go, go!"

"I'm going!" Shepard grunted in reply.

"Traffic, oncoming!"

"We'll be fine."

"Truck!"

"I know!"

"Truck!"

"I know!"

Liara grunted as her life flashed before her eyes.

"There we go."

"Are you enjoying this?"

"Why, yes, I am." Shepard rammed the taxi into Vasir's sky car, making it crash on to the hotel.

After a tense fight with Vasir, they managed to get her on the floor, injured from the crash, exhausted due to the blood loss. "You're dead! The shadow broker has been in power for decades. He's more powerful than anything you've ever faced."

"Is that why you sold out the council?"

"I'm not Saren. The shadow broker has given me damn good intel. Kept the Citadel safe." She coughed hard, holding on to her side. "He gave me some very delicious intel. The turian Councillor and the only human Spectre."

"That's not a line to cross, Vasir," Shepard warned.

"You're not the only one. Certainly not the first Spectre, he's fucked."

"Vasir…."

"You aren't special to him, Shepard. Just another cheap fuck. He's not even a nice man. He knows what I do and still he looks the other….." Vasir's head slumped to the side as the last ounce of life left her.

* * *

Shepard stood at the terminal on the Shadow broker ship, looking through the past messages between Sparatus and his various lovers. Vasir had been telling the truth, even she had slept with him.

"Are you ok, Shepard?" Asked Liara, moving next to her.

"That bitch was telling the truth. Even she slept with him," She croaked out and sob breaking through the barrier, "God, I'm so stupid."

"Shepard, that might been true in the past, but this time, it might be different."

"Oh really?" He's suddenly overcome his human hatred because I'm so amazing. That's laughable."

"What drew you to him?" Liara took her friend's hand, leading her over to some seats.

"I don't know. It was sex at first but we seem to get each other."

"So you bonded. Do you just have sex or do other things?"

Shepard rubbed her temples before playing with her hair, "We cook together, talk, play games, watch awful vids. He even has my picture in his bedroom."

"So he let you into his life. Would he do that if you meant nothing to him?"

"I don't know, Liara. I have shit luck with men."

"Lexi, talk to him before you act on the ramblings of that mad bitch."

"Thanks, Liara. I should get going." The two women hugged, "Keep in touch, Shadow broker."

"You too, Spectre."

* * *

Sparatus had heard Shepard has been back on the Citadel for two days, but yet, she hadn't visited him at all. Normally, once she docked, she go to the apartment to rest until he returned or he'd already be there to greet her. She ignored all of his attempts to contact her for a week, so he decided to hunt her down. He headed to the Normandy, spotting Garrus leaving with Tali, "Vakerian?" He called out.

Garrus groaned quietly, not surprised he showed up, "Can I help you, Councillor?"

"Is Shepard on board? She's ignoring me."

Garrus sighed, not willing to be apart of Shepard's dramatic love life. He opened the airlock, ushering the older turian inside. "If she asks, it wasn't me."

Sparatus nodded as the door closed, starting off the decontamination sequence. Once the interior door opened, he stepped inside the ship proper. He looked around, no crew in sight.

"Hello, Councillor Sparatus." A voice called out, startling him, then he saw the blue figure on the bridge.

"Errr, Hello. You are…."

"I am EDI. I serve as the ships AI. How can I help you?"

"Where is Commander Shepard?"

"She is located in her quarters. Take the lift to deck one. Her door is open."

"Thank you." He walked away, bemused and some what alarmed that she had an AI on the ship. Once he got to deck one, he entered her quarters, immediately catching the sound of a shower. He moved further in, admiring the surroundings of her private space. He took a seat on the bed, waiting for Shepard to come out of the bathroom.

Shepard exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her, wet hair dripping down her back. She caught the sight of someone of the corner of her eye, instinctively reaching for her gun. "Decian?" She said, alarmed, dropping the gun on her desk. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to see you. You've blanked me for a week."

"I haven't been in the mood," She tried to wave him off, but even she wasn't convinced by that excuse.

"Don't dismiss me like that," He growled, standing up, taking a quick step towards her.

"How many Spectres have you had sex with?" She threw it out like a grenade but she needed answers.

"What?"

"I met Tela Vasir. She's dead by the way. She informed me of your interest in your female Spectres."

He sighed, slumping down on to the bed again, "I admit, I'm not proud of myself. But don't dare start thinking, that you mean nothing to me."

"How could I not think that? I'm just in a long line of women you've had sex with. You even met one while I was in bed."

"I met her to end things. I hadn't been with her since you."

"Oh, I'm that special, am I?" She laughed humourlessly.

Sparatus moved quickly in front of her, holding her against the fish tank, "Yes, yes you are. I thought I made that clear to you."

"How can I trust you?" She whispered.

"Lexi, I love you. I promise you, It's only been you since the first time in my office. You are far too beautiful to be mistreated in that way."

"Pretty words from a politician," She snapped, pushing him away. "You're as skilled with words as I am with a rifle."

Sparatus glared at her. "I should leave you, this is obviously distressing you too much to think clearly."

Shepard was very tempted to throw something as he walked away. "So you're just going to write my emotions off as hysteria?! Wow, that really proves how much you care for me."

"I don't have to prove anything to you," He said before leaving.

She picked up the empty cup that was sat on her desk, throwing it at him, narrowly missing the target and hitting the wall opposite, shattering instantly, "You are such a fucking cliché!" She screamed at him.

He growled, whipping himself back around to face her, "Now you resort to violence. It's like dealing with my wife."

"How dare you compare me to her," She slumped down on her bed,pressing her head against her knees. "I must be glutton for punishment."

"Yeah. I ditched one crazy bitch and ended up with another."

Shepard barked out a laugh, "My god, you are pathetic."

"Ha. Me?" He moved to stand in front of her, "Have you looked at yourself? Sat there practically naked and snivelling like a child."

She stood up quickly, throwing the towel at his face, "Then why are you still here? Just like all the other men, perfectly fine when he's getting sex and I'm happy, he can cope. When a woman shows any other kind of emotion, she's a crazy bitch."

"And yet, you are standing in front of me totally naked. Don't pretend it's not a way of kicking me into touch."

She angrily threw on some clothes, "Oh yes! Because you are so attractive to me right about now, that I must have sex with you." She turned facing away from him. "Nick, Justin, Mark, Kaidan and now him. You really know how to pick them, Lexi," She muttered to herself. She tried to stop it, but the tears came any way, letting out a sob of self disgust.

Sparatus was pained to hear her crying, he hated it when she was upset, even more so knowing he caused it. He didn't want to lose her, he had bared his soul to her, telling her more about himself than he'd ever told anyone. He moved up behind her, briefly hesitating before he placed his hands on her shoulders, "Lexi, I…I'm not proud of my past. I didn't tell you about it because it wasn't important. My love for you is genuine, so genuine it actually scared me at first."

She turned around to face him, tears still running down her cheeks, "Men use me for their own ends. Thinking that you were doing the same…..that hurt more than any injury I've had."

"I wish I could say, that I would never hurt you, but I already have. All I can is make it right."

"It's not just that. Vasir blew up a building, killing innocent people. I have to know if you are the kind of man who condones that kind of thing."

"No, I don't condone that kind of thing. I admit, we use the Shadow broker for intel, but I don't permit killing innocents."

"Good, because I cant be with that kind of man. It's not who I am."

"I know, Lexi. You make me a better kind of man. The kind of man who is good enough to have you." He lent his head down to press his mouth plates against her lips, a talon stroking her cheek. "Now what do you want from this impromptu therapy session?"

Shepard laughed, pressing her forehead into his chest, "I don't want to hide us any more."

"So get dressed. It's time we had our long over due first date."


	10. When forever starts

Sparatus sat himself on their bed, while he waited fro Shepard to get dressed. They went to his, now _their_ apartment, where she had a whole wardrobe full of outfits, all paid for by him. He loved to spoil her, spending more on her than he ever did himself. She never asked him for anything, that is probably why he spent so much on her. She worked so hard for people and got very little in return, so he showered her with gifts to show that he appreciated her. But all she ever wanted was his time and love, of which she returned in spades. Now he was on the edge of being open about his love for her, for a human.

He looked up as the door to the bathroom opened, revealing a truly stunning sight. Shepard walked out, wearing a floor length, white, long sleeved gown with a plunging neckline that showed off a teasing amount of her cleavage. Her long back hair, half pinned up with gentle curls flowing down her back and over her shoulders. Her eyes framed by smoky blacks and greys, lips natural with a shine. To Sparatus, she really was a work of art; a true masterpiece.

Shepard waited, hands on hips, tapping her foot in impatiently for him to say something. He was staring at her like it was first time he'd ever laid eyes on her. "Dess?"

"Yes?" He breathed out, very unlike a turian.

"What do you think?"

"You look…..amazing."

"This dress has a treat for you."

"Oh?" He was intrigued.

She turned to the side, revealing a slit in the dress, up to her thigh. "Easy access for you."

In a instant he was in front of her, gripping on to her hips."I like this dress," He whispered in her ear before letting his hand dip inside the dress to caress her thigh.

She gasped at the contact, leaning her body into his, reaching up to caress his fringe. "Dig a little deeper," She breathed out.

He did as she asked, slipping his hand in between her legs. He groaned loudly as he found the treasure within. "No panties. You tease," He growled.

"We're gonna be late." She pulled away from, moving to the mirror to check her hair. "Come on, handsome."

Shepard took a seat in the passenger seat of his sky car, doubt suddenly creeping into her. They were about to go very public with their relationship and she worried about their careers. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Having doubts?" He questioned.

"Not about us. But we humans are still very unpopular with some turians. This could go very badly for you."

"Let me worry about that. What is it that you humans say? "They can like it or lump it." Is that the saying?"

She laughed, leaning over to press a kiss on to one of his mandibles. "That's the polite version."

"I love you, Lexi. I want people to know about us."

"Ok. I just want us to both be a hundred percentage sure about this"

"It'll be fine." He soothed as he landed the sky car. "Half of the room will too busy staring at you to care about our relationship."

Shepard threw her head back in laughter, "Yes, because I'm so nice to look it."

He chuckled as he got out of the car, extending his hand to her, "Even better to touch."

She took his hand, using his help to climb out the car. Her stomach flipped at the idea, that in just a few minutes, everyone would know about their relationship, opening themselves up to criticism. Sensing her apprehension, he pressed his head forward against hers, his hands pulling hers against his chest. "It'll be fine." She nodded, allowing him to lead her to the Presidium ballroom.

The ballroom was vast, decorated quite beautifully with ornaments and flowers found typically on Palaven. Music played, gently echoing through the room, but still quiet enough for people talk. She had heard the music before when going through Garrus' music collection. He had given her access when she mentioned she wasn't sleeping well and it really did help her. They walked down the stairs joining the throng of high ranking turians, catching the end of harshly worded whispers and more vocal opinions. Despite that, Sparatus could help but feeling smug as he had the most beautiful woman in existence on his arm.

They found their seats and to their relief, saw familiar faces sat at the table. Primarch Fedorian was sat to the left of Shepard and Victus was sat to the right of Sparatus, with Oraka, Corinthus, Pallin, Nihlus and some others taking up the other seats but one. "Evening, gentleman," Sparatus greeted. "No women on the go, Septimus?"

"Not right now. What about you?" Shepard knew if turians had eyebrows, one of Oraka's would have been fighting with his hairline.

"No one of that nature," Replied Sparatus smoothly, sounding for a moment like a politician.

Oraka's mandibles flared for a very brief moment. "Well, I hope whomever you've brought knows what she's getting into."  
"I think she's well aware of that," Said Sparatus sternly, glancing for a moment at Shepard. "We've discussed the proper protocol."

She said nothing during the exchange, she knew that Sparatus was still technically married and for him to show up with a date was a very delicate subject that could not be taken lightly. She did not want to make his life any more difficult than it already was but it irritated her that they had to do things the turian way, which meant a great deal of subtlety and rules. If it were up to her, she would sit in his lap and kiss him, just to tell the galaxy to screw off and leave them alone. She did, however, understand the importance of this new relationship being introduced in the public eye. That did not mean she was happy about it.

Sparatus found himself getting lost in Shepard, not paying much attention to his surroundings. She was busy charming everyone on their table, even General Aelianus, his long time rival and staunch anti human campaigner. It awed him at times, how she managed to charm people so easily. He also wondered what he did to get so lucky, to have a woman like her. Such a beautiful, fiery, confident, intelligent and giving woman. For the first time in his forty five years, he finally had the love he so badly craved. He was pulled out of thoughts by a short jab to his right hand side. He turned to Victus, annoyed at the interruption, "What is it?"

"You might want to stop the gazing at Shepard," Victus warned.

"Why?" Victus nodded in a direction behind them, Sparatus following his eyes. His blood ran cold when he saw his family sat at another table, all glaring at him. He was scared, but not for himself, after all, he'd been victim of their abuse for years. He was scared for Shepard's safety, regretting being so open about their love. His entire family despised humans, objecting greatly against Shepard's induction into the Spectres. They were vile people, who would think nothing of making an attempt on Shepard's life. He quickly pulled on Shepard's arm, making a move to stand up, "Lexi, we have to go."

"Why?" He was about to reply when he realised it was too late, they were walking towards him, venom in their eyes.

"Well, Decian, how lovely of you to join your fellow Turians," Said his wife as she came to a stop just short of Victus' chair. "It is a night of honor for our people for once, rather than one for those pink pyjacks."

Sparatus saw Shepard's eyes harden. "Yes, it's nice that our people are being recognized," he agreed. "But, times are changing and before long we might just see ceremonies that honor all species, rather than just one."

His wife snapped her mandibles. "You'd like that, wouldn't you Decian? Then you could flaunt your whores no matter where you were."

"At least he wants to flaunt me," retorted Shepard with a devious smirk.

"Yes, the little human whore. You arent his first whore you know."

"Arent you pregnant with another man's child?" Shepard stood up, putting herself between Sparatus and his family.

His wife snarled, clenching her fists. "The child is Decian's."

Shepard huffed out a laugh, "Errr, its not. I've seen the emails between you and the General." She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking a hip to the side. "You've been banging General Blasius' son for years. Kinda ugly for turian, don't ya think?"

Another older female stormed forward, forcing Sparatus' wife out of the way. "Decian! You are a disgrace to our family and to all turians," She spat. "Cavorting with this human whore. You were mistake that your father and I have been paying for, for over 4 decades. I should have aborted you when I had the chance!"

Shepard was ready to launch herself at the woman when Primarch Fedorian stood up quickly, stepping before her. "That is enough!" He shouted, instantly commanding the quiet in the room. "Decian is a good friend of mine and I like to think Shepard is too. I will not sit here and have them disrespected in such a way."

"Primarch? Are you speaking in defence of this…this human?" General Eranius Sparatus spat.

Shepard left the room as Fedorian ripped the General a new one, off in search of Sparatus. She reasoned that he left the room as his mother reeled off her diatribe towards him. Eventually she found him leaning over a bridge on the presidium. "I hope you don't intend to jump off that bridge. Life would be lonely without you." The noise he made in response nearly broke her heart.

"She wished she aborted me." He pushed his voice in his hands, letting out a low whine. "Am I really that awful?"

Shepard moved in front of him, between him and the railings of the bridge, cupping his face in her hands. "No, no….no. You are a wonderful man, Decian. They don't see what I see, but when I left, Fedorian, Victus, Oraka all stood in your defence. They care about you, I love you. Fuck those vile bastards. They don't deserve you."

"Why are you with me, Lexi?"

"I have a thing for super sexy turians."

He let out a small chuckle, wrapping his arms around her. "There's only one, right?"

She smiled, pressing a light kiss on his mouth plates. "Right. Forget them Deci. You have people around you that care very much about you. We are your family."

He pulled her tight against his body, his face nuzzling her neck. "Spirits, let me keep her forever," He whispered into her hair, barely audible to her human ears.

He heart gave a little flutter when she just about heard his prayer. If he wanted her forever than he could have her, but that was a discussion for another time. All he needed now was to feel loved and wanted. "Lets go and shoot things at the combat sim."

"Only if you keep the dress on."

She barked out a laugh, pulling on his hand. "Ok, but you gotta give me something."

He swatted her ass, making her giggle, "Keep it on and I'll get you off, while you shoot."

The look that he gave her made her weak at the knees. The very thought of them screwing in the combat sim made her blood heat up. "Luckily, no one will be there to witness."

"I'd prefer if they were."

"My, my, Councillor. How bold you have become."

He moved quickly, pinning her against the wall. "That is your influence, Spectre."

"Good or bad?" She bit her lip, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Good, but oh so deliciously bad." He pushed her arms above her head, holding them with one hand as he fumbled out with the latches of his pants, furiously pulling them then pushing them down, freeing his throbbing erection. Pulling her leg up to his hip, he entered her quickly, using the wall to support her body.

Shepard felt like she was floating out of her body as her lover pounded into her. She was vaguely aware of the possibility people could catch them, but she just didn't care. They could stand and watched if they wanted. She bit into his neck as he made hard, shallow thrusts, making him groan loudly.

He felt the sting of her bite, sending tingles of electricity throughout his body. His knees buckled as she constricted around his length, the waves of her orgasm tipping him over the edge towards his own completion. With a guttural roar, he came inside of her, filling her with his seed. When she let go of the grip she had on is neck, he pressed his forehead against, eyes locked on to each other as they returned to reality.

"Well that was quite a show," A voice pulled them from their post coital bliss.

Sparatus turned to see his brother leaning against a railing, obviously having watched them for a while. "What do you want, Iden?" He moved in front of Shepard, giving her privacy to sort herself out.

"Decian, aren't you going to share? You were always taught to share." Iden sneered at his brother while darting his eyes towards Shepard.

Sparatus growled at his brother, a feral warning not to approach his mate. "Stay away from, Lexi."

"Lexi. Hmmm, Lexi. How did you get a woman like that, little brother?"

"I'm warning you, Iden."

"It's only a matter of time, little brother. They all leave you for me eventually."

Shepard moved beside Sparatus, taking his hand, "You are vile piece of shit."

"Dont be mad, sweetheart. I'm sure I can give you a better time than he can. Poor little boy that mother should have aborted."

Shepard saw red, moving swiftly, punching him in the face, watching as he fell backwards. "Listen to me, you steaming pile of stale varren shit. You will never be half the man that your brother is. Now go back to that sorry excuse for mother and tell her, I'll fucking kill her if she ever talks to my Decian that way, again." She shook with rage as she resisted the urge to tear him apart. "In fact, if any of you even look at him again, I'll kill the fucking lot of you." She turned on her heels, walking towards Decian, leading him to where their sky car was parked.

Most of flight home was in silence as Shepard let her anger dissipate. He squeezed her knee affectionately, waiting until she responded with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you."

That night, they made slow and gentle love. It was that night they knew that this was forever.


	11. Unbreakable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Life happened.

Sparatus sat in the cabin he rented on the civilian transport, heading back to Palaven. After news about his relationship with Shepard went public, he'd been ordered to return to face the Hierarchy council. He knew his family had instigated this "trial." They'd do anything to make him miserable, especially when given the chance to take something he held dear to him, away.

Shepard had been out of communication for over a week and it was driving him crazy, but right on cue, as if she heard his need, she called him. He answered quickly, desperate to hear her voice. "Lexi, you have no idea how much I've missed you." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, if its as much as I missed you, then I've a pretty good idea. Where are you? Imra said you'd gone back to Palaven."

"The Hierarchy council have summoned me. They want me to answer for my "crimes."

"What crimes?" She asked, confused

"Well, there is my, "Shameless misconduct." then my, "Obvious disregard for turian values." and to top it all off, "Conducting an unlawful dalliance."

"Excuse me?" Shepard was bewildered. She knew that having an affair wasn't illegal, frown upon but not illegal nor was having relationships with aliens. "Where the in the fuck did all this come from?"

"My father is a council member, as is my father in law. No doubt they cooked this up."

"If I was asari, this wouldn't be an issue." She said, bitterly.

"Have you had any issues?"

"Alliance brass called me in for a meeting. They were satisfied that our relationship is proper."

"At least not everyone is against us."

"I wouldn't care if they were. No one is tearing us apart. We love each other too much for that to happen."

"I know. It'll be fine." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince; her or himself.

"So when is the hearing?"

"In a week. Fedorian suggested I go early to meet with him and my supporters."

"I'll just be able to make it, I think."

"No, Lex." The thought of Shepard being on Palaven with his enemies, filled him with dread. He couldn't be sure if people wouldn't try to hurt her.

"Not up for discussion, Dec. We promised we would stick together through this."

He sighed, knowing she was right. "You're right. Just be careful."

"I don't want to start fights, Deci. I just want to support the man that I've plans to marry."

He was briefly stunned when she brought it up. They had discussed the future and what they wanted. But to know that she too had plans for their future marriage, filled him with joy. "Thank you, Lexi. Have you got the new enviro suit I sent you?"

"Yes I do. I can wear normal clothes underneath it."

"That was the point." He chuckled. "How can I flaunt my incredibly beautiful and charming human, whilst she's dressed in a enviro suit?"

"Well, its a good thing that so many areas of Cipritine are safe for aliens to visit." She laughed lightly. "Oh and you can thank me when we are naked in bed."

"Minx. I have to go. See you soon."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

 

The Hierarchy chambers were full to the brim, when he Sparatus walked in. The five council members sat together towards the centre of the room, with the Primarch sat slightly higher, behind them, with the spectators surrounding them in a circle.. He took his place in the centre, standing before the council.

Fedorian ordered everyone to sit down with a wave of his hand. "Let's start proceedings quickly." He huffed out with an annoyed grunt. "General Sparatus, you requested this hearing, so let's get on with it."

The general glared at his son, before a small growl from the Primarch prompted him to speak. However, the man next to him spoke up first. "Decian Sparatus, we have called you here today regarding your recent activities relating to a certain human."

Sparatus' mandible tightened as he gritted his teeth. "I entered into a mutual romantic relationship with Commander Shepard. I fail to see why is it your concern."

"May I remind you, that you are married to my daughter, who is expecting your child."

Hushed murmurs echoed around the vast room as he barked out a laugh. "You think I'd fuck that woman? I don't know who did it, but it wasn't me. She has lovers."

"How dare you! General Valerus spat. "You insult my daughter, when you are cavorting with that human whore."

"Careful who you call a whore." A voice sounded throughout the room, making Sparatus turn, eagerly searching for the source. She walked towards him, calm and confident, looking breath taking and eyes only for him. She reached out to him, slipping her hand into his. "Is there a problem, General?"

He watched her, mesmerised at how beautiful she was. Her dark her was down, flowing loose, smelling like coconut, just how he liked it. She was dressed in her skinny jeans, boots and crop top, giving him and everyone else, a glorious view of her slender waist and creamy skin.

"What are you doing here, human?" Valerus growled, eyes fixed firmly on her.

"I am here to support my man."

Sparatus Sr stood up, gesturing to the guards. "Guards, get that whore out of here."

Sparatus moved in front of her, growling loudly enough for even Shepard's human ears to hear. "Touch her and I will kill you."

"Commander Shepard is here on my invitation." Said Fedorian. "She is to be respected as my guest."

Sparatus knew that Fedorian just lied to the room, but he knew his friend liked Shepard, he'd never allow her to come to harm. "I'll remind you, the Commander is a council Spectre. I'm sure you wouldn't run the risk of upsetting the council and the Alliance, would you?"

"Now, there seems to be some concern about the relationship between the good Councillor and myself. I'm starting wonder why that is." Shepard began to walk around the room, making eye contact with the spectators. "We could say it was because I'm an alien, but then, if I was asari, I doubt this hearing would taking place, so I can only suspect, it's because I'm a human. I may have been a mere child when our species made first contact, but I know that it didn't go all to smoothly. Yet, despite our rough beginnings together, many humans and I'm sure, many turians, hoped that we had moved beyond that."

"What is your point, human?" General Sparatus spat.

"My point is, if a human and a turian, who within five minutes of meeting, can become as close as two friends could be, then why cant a human and a turian be bonded?" She looked up, catching the eye of Castis Vakarian. "Garrus Vakarian is a good friend of mine, been through hell with me and yet, his loyalty in me is unwavering, as is mine in him. Tarquin Victus, I know this young man is seen to be reckless, but to me, boy got what it takes and his father, a man so accurate with a gun, I hope to never be at the end of that barrel." She kept moving around the room, keeping all eyes on her, enraptured by her words. "Nihlus Kryik, my Spectre mentor and a friend." Nihlus nodded to her in acknowledgement of their friendship. "Saren Arterius, a man of brilliance, led down a dark path, for reasons we will never know, but it wont stop us for finding sorrow in his Primarch, a good, strong leader and someone I'm glad to have met. General Oraka, a man who flirts with me constantly, but I've grown to adore him." She moved gracefully to Sparatus' side, once again taking his hand. "Then we come to this man. A man who is the love my life. A man who will be anything I need him to be and I hope I give him everything he deserves."

"I'm still waiting for a point to all this." Valerus huffed.

"You know, its rude to interrupt." Shepard chastised him, leaving him looking like a kicked puppy. "What I'm saying is, you may not like that your Councillor has picked a human to spend his days with, but who gives a fuck what you think. This relationship between us, this love, will not end. My friendship with turians will never end. Humans of my age or similar were taught to fear turians, but that is a prejudice I never subscribed to. Decian, who was very critical of me and all humans, shed his own deeply ingrained opinions of us. General Aelianus, who I'm told would sneer at humans, yet he was open minded enough to see if his opinion of us was justified or not. If people who grew up knowing nothing but that, can change their minds, then we can put that past behind us." Shepard stood listening to the room, but no voices could be heard.

Primarch Fedorian absorbed her words, knowing every single one to be true. He liked her to before, but even more so now. She spoke with such passion and spirit, to defend her love for Sparatus and defence of her friendships with turians. "Generals, if you have nothing to say, then I suggest we end this farce as I have important work to do."

General Astrian looked to Generals Aelianus and Sevyrna, all three men sharing a look, before Astrian turned to others. "We give this hearing no creed. Assuming that Councillor Sparatus is a grown man and Commander Shepard has no deserve to wipe us all out, I see no reason why they shouldn't be able to continue their relationship."

Sevyrna stood up, sending a glare to Valerus and Sparatus Sr. "I do not appreciate being dragged in on my day off, to deal with your petty squabbles."

Fedorian too stood up, "That settles it. This hearing is terminated."

Shepard launched herself into Sparatus' arms, kissing his mouth plates as the others moved around them. "Spirits, how I have missed you."

"I've missed you." He took her hand, leading her to the exit. "My love, you talk like a politician."

Shepard nudged him with her elbow, scowling at him playfully. "That's your bloody doing. You've rubbed off on me."

He pulled tight to him, rubbing his hands over her bare skin. "I want you naked and riding me."

Shepard giggled as the crowd turned towards them, having heard what he said. "How about naked and tied to the bed. I've got this first contact fetish I want to try."

Sparatus' chest rumbled with lust. "How long do we have?"

"A week."

"Not long enough but it'll do." Sparatus led her to his hotel room with the intention of not re-emerging for a day or two.

* * *

 

Shepard yawned as she waited for the lift to arrive, to take her to the Hierarchy offices where she knew Sparatus would be. The doors slid open and she stepped inside, noticing his parents, standing at the back.

"Such a disgrace." His father uttered.

She turned to them, an eyebrow cocked. "Excuse me?"

"You!" His mother sneered, venom dripping from her mouth. "You are a disgrace."

"Me?" Shepard laughed, humourlessly. "You two are the most vile, despicable, pieces of shit, I've ever known. The way you've treated Deci over the years, it makes me sick. He told me about the whipping incident because I saw his scar. He shook as he told me. You stand there, acting all mighty and superior, when in reality, you are pure evil."

"How dare you." Sparatus Sr raised his hand to hit her when she slapped it back.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Shepard felt so angry that she shook. "He is a wonderful, kind hearted man."

His mother's mandibles tightened, fists clenching. "That boy should never have been born. He is a reminder of the evil in world, his very existence taints me."

Shepard gasped as the reality dawned on her. "Was he born from rape?" She shuddered as she asked his mother."

"He grew in my body after four men brutalized me. He grew, sowing his evil within me. Bad to the bone, just like his father."

"Decian is not those men." Said Shepard through gritted teeth. "You talk as if he chose to be born, planned it." Shepard turned around quickly as the lift stopped, the doors sliding open to allow Fedorian to step in. "Good afternoon, Lorin." She managed to speak, successfully hiding her anger.

"Good afternoon, Lexi. How is my favourite human?"

She smiled through, the weight of the latest news, crushing her. "Bet you say that to all the humans."

Fedorian noticed she seemed agitated by something. "Lexi, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Lorin. How is your wife now?"

"She's doing well. She's eager to meet you, now that you and Decian are very serious."

"Oh, I'd love to meet her." She smiled. "Decian has told me good stories about her."

"We are having a get together tomorrow tonight. Valenia will be furious with Decian if he's here and doesn't show up. Now he has you, our little group are desperate for him to bring you along."

"We'd love to go. You owe me a good night after I sung your praises so well." She teased.

"My ego thanks you for it, truly." He chuckled, giving her a turian smile. "Did you mean everything you said?"

"Every word of it, Lorin.

"And you truly love, Decian?"

She smiled, clutching at the necklace that he had given her on their anniversary. "I do. He means a lot to me, everything actually."

"I'm glad. He's been a good friend to me over the years. He worships you."

"He does give me that impression." They laughed together. "I'll look after him, Lorin."

"I know and he'll look after you." The door to lift slid open, Fedorian allowing Shepard to step out first, following as the continued to talk as they walked together.

* * *

 

It hadn't taken long for Sparatus to realise that something was bothering Shepard. He knew her moods instinctively, like her emotions called out to him. He was convinced that he heard her crying earlier but she shrugged it off when he questioned her. He searched all the areas of his brain, trying to work out if he did something to upset her. He was sure he hadn't, but women were secretive creatures at times, so he didn't rule it out as a possibility.

He watched her as she sat reading, the weight of the issue, visible to him. Her eyes looking sad, haunted by a secret. He had to know what it was, even if it was just to share her burdened. "Lexi, what's wrong?"

She sighed, eyes not moving from her book. "Nothing, Dec. I'm fine."

He removed the book from her hands, sitting down on the chair opposite. "Lexi, I know you. Please, just tell me what is bothering you."

His pleading made the tears fall from her eyes. How could she tell him that he was the result of a gang rape? To tell him that everything he ever knew was a lie. The lie wasn't great but it had to be better than being a child born from such an unspeakable act. She pushed her tears away, getting up from the chair. "Deci, drop it please."

He got up and moved to her side. "Lexi, what is it. You're in tears and I hate seeing you like that."

She sniffed, again wiping away more tears. "Deci, I'm scared you'll hate me."

"Oh, I could never hate you." He pulled her into his arms, nuzzling at her neck. "Please, just tell me."

She looked into his eyes, her heart breaking at the thought of breaking his. She steeled herself, ready to face any emotion he may feel. "I met your parents earlier."

"Oh, did they say anything to you?" He asked, anger rising in his body.

"We go into a fight and I had to know why they hated you so much." Her voiced cracked as her tears slipped down her cheeks on to her t-shirt. "Y….y..your mother told me something, I'm not sure you or your brother know."

"What is it?"

"Before you were conceived, your mother was gang raped."

His hands fell away from her as he stood back, shock and anger gripping at him as it fell into place. Everything that happened in his childhood to now, suddenly making sense. He huffed out a quick breath, his fists clenching, the anger becoming too much to bear. He let out a feral growl, loud enough to scare Shepard as he picked up a vase, throwing it towards the window, watching as it shattered. Then he picked up a chair throwing at the door, then the next at the patio doors. He screamed and screamed as he destroyed everything in the room, the anger blinding him. He moved to strike and to his horror, he realised that Shepard was his target, his soul crushed by the sheer terror in her eyes. In his anger, he failed to realise that she was there in the room, cowering by the bathroom door as he destroyed the hotel room. He howled as he fell to his knees, feeling like his world was falling apart. He wouldn't blame Shepard if she walked out on him and their relationship, after all, he came within a inch of hitting her, the one person in his life who really loved him.

Shepard stood shaking, by the bathroom door, surveying the damage in the room, then looking down at the man at her feet. She was watching the man she loved with every fibre of her being, coming apart, overwhelmed by so many emotions. She dropped down to her knees, pulling him to her, to cradle him. They lay together on the floor, in the carnage of what was their hotel room, all night. In the the light of the rising Palaven suns, they finally fell asleep.

Sparatus was the first to wake in the early afternoon. He untangled himself from his human lover, moving to grab a blanket to lay over her shivering, sleeping form. He sat on the bed, watching her as she slept, wondering if she would still love him when she woke. Part of him was terrified that she wouldn't and he wanted to flee, but the other part, knew her too well to know that she wouldn't feel anything less, despite what he had done.

She woke, stretching out her cramping muscles, shaking off the after effects of sleeping on the floor. She looked up to see Sparatus watching her, the sadness of yesterday's events weighing visibly on him.

"Do you still love me?" He asked, sadly, as if he expected her to say no.

She got up, moving to him, sitting on his lap. "As if I could ever stop."

He let out a desperate cry as he held her tight. "I nearly hit you."

"But you didn't and you never would."

"I was just so angry. It's like I had all this anger in me and it all just spilled out."

"Shhhhhhh," She soothed. "It's ok. You have every right to be angry."

He nuzzled her neck, as he slipped a hand under her t-shirt. "I need you." He whispered.

"I'm all yours. Always." They made love into the evening, pushing away all memory of the night before. Neither was willing to allow such an awful crime ruin the life they had together. They could defeat any upset that reached their life because the love they felt for each was unbreakable, even if it did bend at times.


	12. The relay

Sparatus paced his office as Shepard was sat, leaning back in his chair, "Lexi. The Omega Four relay?"

"I know, Deci. It's the only way ensure the safety of the colonies. I have to do this." She tried to soothe his worries, but she knew it wouldn't work, he'd still worry.

"I know, Lexi. I just wish it wasn't always you putting your life on the line."

"I'm a soldier. This is what I do."

He slumped down on the sofa, pressing his head into his hands. "It'll likely be a one way trip."

"It wont be." She moved to sit next to him, pulling to her. "I wont let it be."

"I'm coming with you." He blurted out.

"What! Deci, no." She moved away slightly to look at him. "You're needed here."

"And I need to be where you are."

"Deci, you cant just babysit me every time I go into a dangerous situation."

"I know. But this is different. If you go, I may never get you back. Dead or alive. I'd never be able to lay you to rest or mourn you properly. I can accept that you go into things I cant protect you from, but I'm not negotiating on this. I'm going with you to make sure your arrogant, human backside gets back in one piece."

She laughed a little, knowing that fighting him on it wouldn't help, he was determined. "Ok. You can come as a member of my team. I'm in command, you respect my decisions."

"Aye aye, Commander. When do we leave?"

"In three days. Making sure the ship is prepped for the trip."

"Good." He said quietly, moving to his desk to pick up a credit chit. "I've made us dinner plans tonight in your favourite restaurant."

"I guess that means I'll need a new dress."

He handed her the credit chit, pulling her to her feet. "Treat yourself. Perhaps something for desert too." He whispered huskily, swatting her on the backside.

She squealed, nudging him away. "Behave. I'll see you later." She kissed his mandible before walking out of his office.

He waited until she left before calling his assistant in. The asari entered, holding a small box. "Is that it?"

"Yes, sir. Made to your specifications." She opened the box so he could see it.

"Perfect. I want this night to be special for Lexi."

"It will be. Congratulations." She smiled.

"I haven't asked her yet."

"I already know the answer. Everyone who ever met you both, does."

"Thank you for you help, Imra."

"It was a pleasure, sir.

* * *

Dinner was an intimate affair, where they spent most of it snuggled up together, feeding each other between teasing kisses. Now Shepard was blindfolded, being led by Sparatus, somewhere. "Baby, where are we going?"

"Somewhere special. Not many know about this place and I wanted to show you." He stopped her, pressing his chest against her back. "This is it." He whispered in her ear, taking her blindfold off.

She gasped as she saw a perfect panoramic view of the stars around them. "Deci, where are we?" She asked, marvelling in the beauty of their surroundings.

"Basement of the tower. I thought you would like it."

"I love it. It's so beautiful."

"Come." He took her hand. Leading her to a small picnic area that had been set up, with drinks and nibbles. "This is all ours tonight."

The laid back together, sharing stories and laughing. They felt like they were the only ones in the galaxy and felt good to be with truly alone with each other. He pulled out a small package, placing it in front of her. "I did some research on human customs.."

She looked at him stunned, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is that…." Her voice stopped working as she tried to take it all in.

"Open it." He urged, eagerly anticipating her reaction.

With shaky hands, she picked it up, gently flipping the box open. Everything in her body went numb when she saw the ring. A beautiful white gold band with a diamond shaped into a star, two smaller stars next to it. She picked up the ring, letting the box fall to her lap. Looking up at Sparatus, the wonderful man he was, set her soul a flame with her love for him, which only grew bigger, though she didn't think it possible. He did it all for her, the dinner, the beautiful setting. "Deci…." She croaked out through her shaky tears.

"Alexandra Shepard, will you marry me?"

She launched herself at him, making him fall back as she straddled him. "Yes! A million times, yes!" She pressed her lips to his in a bruising kiss. She held out her hand for him to slip the ring on her finger. "Alexandra Sparatus. I like how that sounds."

"So do I. You don't have to take my name."

"I'm a traditional girl. I'll always be Shepard to people, but to me I'll Mrs Sparatus."

He pulled her closer, so their bodies touched, gently nuzzling against her neck. "I always felt I had something to prove to people. Then you, you made me realise I have nothing to prove. Your opinion is the only one I care about. I'm forty six and forty five of those, I was waiting for you."

She kissed his crest, pressing her forehead against his. "You got me now."

"And you got me. Always."

Sparatus waited in bed while Shepard finished in the shower. They were on their way to the Omega Four relay and with each second that past, the more worried he became. They had no idea what they'd find or even if they'd survive the trip through it. When they got to the ship, he had been introduced to the crew as her fiancé; something that made his heart swell with pride. They seemed happy and were friendly with him, even though they tried to be overly respectful of his position.

He watched as Shepard stepped it from the bathroom, towel wrapped around her body, hair dripping wet. Observing her, he found her so fascinating to watch. She padded around her quarters, drying her hair with the towel before snagging a hair brush off her bedside cabinet. She pulled out her hair dryer, plonking herself on her bed. He was most fascinated by her hair, long and luscious as it was. "Can I do it?" He asked, as if his mouth had been reading his mind and decided to ask.

She smiled at him, handing him the brush and the dryer, settling herself between his legs. "Of course."

He set to work brushing and drying her hair, awed at the way it felt as it dried. Soft and silky with the coconut scent that he loved so much. Shepard's shoulders slumped slightly as she relaxed against him. "That is great, Deci."

He smiled as he continued working her hair, running his talons through her thick locks. "I'm glad, I'm enjoying this."

"My grandmother used to do my hair. I need to introduce you both."

"Have you told your mother about the engagement?"

She purred as he massaged her scalp with his talons. "I have. She was ecstatic."

"We should get some sleep before we hit the relay."

* * *

Shepard groaned as the shrill of the alarm echoed throughout the cabin. The turian behind on the bed, pulled her closer, cocooning her in his arms. She sighed, turning in his arms to give him a kiss. "Deci? Time to get up."

He mumbled something her translator couldn't pick up. "No." He grunted, keeping his eyes closed.

"Baby, we'll be at the relay soon." She squirmed, turning to get out of his arms.

He released her from his grip, flopping on to his stomach. "Fine, but I'm having you later."

She moved from the bed, standing to stretch. "EDI, what's our ETA?" She yawned.

"Two hours, Shepard."

"Thanks, EDI."

Shepard stepped into the cockpit with Sparatus in tow. "How's things?"

"Looking good, Commander. IFF is ready to go. ETA five minutes."

She tapped the pilot's shoulder affectionately. "Good work, Joker."

"Commander?" Jacob called over the com. "The drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree."

They approached the relay, the ship shaking hard as it passed through. "Brace for deceleration." EDI warned.

"Oh shit!" Joker hissed loudly as he desperately manoeuvred the ship through the debris field. He huffed out a breathy, shaky laugh, wiping his brow with his forearm. "That was close."

"Excellent flying, Lieutenant." Said Sparatus from behind them, Joker having forgotten he was there.

"We've got company! EDI, help me out." Joker battled with the controls. "Argh, now your just pissing me off."

"I hope the plating holds." Said Sparatus.

"Alert! Hull breach in engineering."

"It's in the cargo hold."

"Deci, let's take care of it." After two rounds with what was essentially a giant laser pointer, she made it back to the bridge as they neared the collector base. "Joker, can you find us a safe place to land?"

"Too late, they're sending an old friend to greet us."

"Show em our new toys, Joker." The collector ship went down, unfortunately, the Normandy didn't fare much better. The landing wasn't pretty, but they still in piece. "Are we safe here?"

"I do not detect an internal security network. It's possible they didn't expect any to reach the base." EDI supplied.

"Let's hope it stays that why. Miranda get the crew together."

Sparatus watched and listened to Shepard in awe. She radiated authority and had an air of strength that was most intimating. It was clear that the crew respected her decisions, but weren't afraid to speak up if they didn't agree with them. She wasn't just a leader, she was a compassionate leader, who believed in helping others, even if she didn't know them. He watched her give her orders, Garrus taking charge of the second team, the quarian Tali as the specialist, he and the geth, joining her team. They stepped out of the ship, casting a look over to the other team, ready to assault the base and what ever may come.


	13. Shepard's war

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long.

Shepard sat at one of the café tables near the Alliance HQ, nursing a second cup of coffee. She decided to leave the HQ for lunch and to take a breather for all the politics. She was never good with politics, but Sparatus taught her some of the tricks he learned over the years as a Councillor.

Her heart ached when she thought of her fiancé. They knew and expected them to have periods of separation, but never longer than a month or two. The months just seemed to drag on, minute by minute, literally world's apart.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice behind her. Turning to look up, she saw the handsome voice of Kaidan Alenko. "Kaidan…Been a while."

"You look good….for a dead woman." Shepard knew he was trying to make a joke but her heart sunk when he brought it up.

"The last year has been good to me. Fell in love and I got engaged."

Kaidan's face fell at her words and they way she looked when she talked about her new man. He was still in love with her but any lingering hope that he had about trying again, slowly disappeared. "I didn't know you were engaged."

"We've only told close friends and family so far. Our wedding plans have had to take a back seat."

"Does he make you happy?"

"He makes me very happy." An awkward silence descended on them. Shepard knew why he was asking and it made her angry that he still hoped, even after everything he said to her on Horizon. "Kaidan, what we had was great, but it wasn't meant to last. Now I have someone who shows me how much he loves me and he knows how much I love him."

He smiled at her sadly, forgetting all the things he had prepared to say to her. She was happy, truly happy, how she deserved to be and perhaps she was right, it wasn't meant to last. Maybe it was just something that felt familiar and it was time to move on. "I'm glad that you found someone who deserves you or is brave enough." He smirked at her until her laughter came and they fell in what would be their new normal; two old friends, having lunch and sharing good times.

"Let's have a beer or six. It might help me when I go back into the meeting."

"Now Shepard. Remember what happened last time we let you get drunk?"

"Please don't remind me, Kaidan." She waved the waiter over. "Can we have a two beers, two burger and fries. The greasier, the better."

"The burger or the beers?" The waiter quipped.

"Make it both." Kaidan laughed, his voice was a little tense but he seemed more relaxed than he had when he arrived. It was nice to hear him laugh again, the last time she had seen him she thought he would never smile again.  
"So, what have you been up to, Major?" She asked, emphasizing his new rank.

"I guess Anderson was lying when he said I was the only one who knew about my promotion." Sighed Kaidan.

Shepard grinned. "I was asked to give a letter of character for your promotion."

Kaidan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You did? Damn, whatever was in that letter must've been good."

"Damn straight." She said with a curt nod.

"I'm surprised they haven't offered you a promotion."

"They have. I'm now Staff Commander Shepard."

"It suits you, Commander." Said Kaidan as he grabbed a beer.

"Likewise, Major." The glass of their beer bottles clinked together as they toasted their well earned promotions.

Both Major and Commander, tucked into the lunch that the waiter had brought over, talking about the latest news. Suddenly, a darkness appeared in the skies over Vancouver. People looked up in confusion at the warm mid day sun disappearing. Kaidan and Shepard stood up moving away from the table, trying to get a better view through the buildings to the Vancouver harbour. A loud, ear splitting, mechanical noise thundered above them, bringing a Reaper into view. Shepard looked around at the terrified people, frozen in time, eyes fixed upwards. "Move….. Move!" She yelled, as she grabbed Kaidan pulling him towards the Alliance headquarters. "We need to get to Anderson. Let's go."

They ran as fast as they could to headquarters, through the chaos and crumbling buildings as people screamed, scrambling to get away. "Look out!" Kaidan yelled as he threw Shepard against a nearby wall, using his body to shield her. Their eyes met briefly, knowing they had left it too late to prepare.

* * *

Sparatus hated waking up alone, without Shepard in his arms. He'd not seen her in months, due to the work commitments they both had. Shepard was on Earth, working with the Alliance, on their defence plan against the Reapers. He was on Palaven, assisting the turian council with their own plan.

They spoke as often as they could and messaged daily, but it did little to ease the longing between them. They had already put their wedding plans on hold, knowing that the Reapers were coming, other things had to take priority.

He was determined that Shepard would have the wedding she wanted, even if they had to wait. All the plans they had would wait, the Reapers wouldn't stop them.

After sending her a brief message, he walked into the council chambers, spotting the Primarch, talking to his aide. He approached his friend, giving him a traditional turian greeting. "Good Morning, Lorin."

"Morning, Decian. How is my favourite human?"

"Stuck on Earth. She was never one for politics." He said with a light chuckle.

"Well, that's why she keeps you around." He jested in reply. "So she can shoot things and look beautiful while she does it."

"That is true. I miss her. I haven't seen her in four months."

"I know the feeling, my friend. Valenia has been away too, visiting her mother with the baby."

"How is little Cassius?"

"He's a fine boy and a noisy little terror." He fell silent suddenly, his face turning serious. "Decian, Valenia and I have decided, if anything happens to us, we want Lexi and yourself to take him in."

"Lorin…" He started before the Primarch cut him off.

"Decian, I'm serious. You've been an important friend to us over the years and we adore Lexi. Cassius will have everything he could ever need with you."

"If the worst happens…we'll love him like he is our own."

"That's what I want and what he deserves."

"But please don't go dying on me." He said with a laugh, trying to ease the seriousness between them.

"Same to you, Decian." Fedorian clapped his friend on the shoulder. "And Lexi, too."

* * *

Garrus felt himself freeze as he read the message over and over. Struggling to take in the enormity of the situation presented in the message.

_To: Vakarian, G._

_From: Moreau, J._

_Shit is going down._

With just one short sentence, 4 little words, the galaxy that Garrus knew, had started to fall. The Reapers had come to town. He knew Shepard was on earth and had been for months and the fact that she hadnt sent him the message herself, told him, she was right in the thick of the carnage. Quickly, he realised that Sparatus and the hierarchy wouldn't know yet, time was ticking for them already. He left his parents house and flagged the nearest sky-car to get him to hierarchy headquarters. After a quick flight, he ran into the building bumping into his father in the hobby. "Dad. Where is Sparatus?" He asked through hurried breaths.

"Having lunch with the Primarch and the other members. I'm heading there now " He caught the distress that his son was in and sinking feeling set in his stomach. "Son, what is it?"

"It's Earth…They've been hit by the Reapers."

Castis looked at his son, wide eyed and stunned as the shocked and scared whispers started from the people nearby. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Shepard's pilot messaged me."

"And Shepard?"

"I have no idea."

Castis grabbed Garrus by the arm and started running down the corridor to the dining rooms, hurrying through the door. He looked around quickly, trying to find Sparatus, spotting the man towards the back of the room, chatting to the Primarch. He rushed over, dodging through the tables and passed the waiters. "Councillor…..Councillor." He called trying to get his attention.

Sparatus turned to greet him, stopping when he saw his friend's face. "Castis, what is it?"

"Earth…."Was all Castis could say and all he needed to say to get the message across.

Sparatus turned away, face frozen in shock. "No….no…no." He mumbled quietly to himself. The other members approached the table, having heard something about Earth. He leapt up to his feet, opening his omni tool to call Shepard. One time, _unable to connect._ Two times, _unable to connect._ Three times, _unable to connect._ Finally, he managed to get through, urging Shepard to answer, nearly gasping when she did. "Lexi? Lexi? What's going on?"

"Decian. Can you hear me?" He noted how out of breath and scared she sounded.

"I can hear you, Lexi. What is going on?"

"Reapers…..We are being decimated." Shepard was breathing hard as she ran through the streets to the docks. _"They're taking out that dreadnought."_ Kaidan's voice echoed through the comm. "Look out!" Shepard yelled, followed by an explosion and Shepard falling in the rubble. _"Shepard!"_

"Lexi…Lexi!" He got nothing but the sound of heavy breathing. "Alexandra!" He used he full name in hope she would chastised him it, but yet, nothing. The comm went dead and Sparatus could feel his heart stop beating and his lungs no longer taking in breath. He could have just heard the love of his life die and he wasn't there to stop it.


	14. Reunited

Sparatus sat at his desk, scouring through the reports that landed on it, for any sign that Shepard had made it off of Earth. He left Palaven shortly after he heard the news, knowing that if she was alive, she would go to the Citadel.

He must have combed through hundreds of the reports, getting more and more frustrated. He groaned when the comm on his desk pinged, knowing it would be only be his assistant as he set the comm to not be disturbed. "What is it, Irma?"

" _There's a call for you, sir."_

"Tell them, I'm busy."

There was a short paused before the assistant responded. _"It's the from the Commander."_

"Put her through." He barked. "Lexi, where are you?

" _On our way to the Citadel. I have something to discuss with you and the other Councillors."_

"You sound tired." He softened, listening to her weary voice.

" _I am. I would have called sooner, but I was sent to Mars…."_ She paused and Sparatus heard a small sob. _"I was so scared, Deci."_

"Shhhhhh…..I know, beautiful. I thought I lost you."

" _We'll be there in a few hours. Shall I wait at the apartment?"_

"Let me know when your near the Citadel. I'll meet you at the docks."

" _Shall I run up to you, so you can pick me up and spin me? All romantic like."_ She laughed lightly.

"Mmm, then when I get you home, I'll show you such how much I've missed you."

" _I missed you, too. I'm going to catch some sleep. Love you."_

"I love you, Lexi."

Sparatus waited at the dock for the Normandy to arrive. He hoped the reporters wouldnt follow him there, but they took to lingering nearby. He detested these people, nothing short of vultures after the latest scoop. They trashed his relationship with Shepard over and over; stories about how their relationship was nothing but a political ploy.

After half hour, a familiar ship approached the dock, coming to a stop and powering down. The door to the dock slid open and several medics rushed passed him, then he saw the stretcher with a worried and tired looking Shepard following behind.

"Lexi?" He called out, instantly catching her attention. She rushed towards him, throwing her body against his. He held her close, smelling her hair, soothing the tension in her body. "Are you ok?" He watched as the medics wheeled the human male away quickly, heading towards the lift.

"I'm worried about Kaidan." She pulled away to look up at him. "He got hurt trying to protect me."

"He'll pull through." He released her from his arms, taking her hand to give it a quick kiss. "Hungry?"

She chuckled, letting him lead her to the lift. "Starving."

"Good. I've put in a order. We can pick it up on the way home."

"Oh, you spoil me. But we should talk to the Councillors first."

"Ok. I'll get them to meet us in my office."

Together they stepped into the lift, heading up to the embassies. "Have you heard from Lorin and the others?"

"I've had reports from Adrien. Lorin is trying to get from Menae to meet the other diplomats. I may need your help to extract him."

"I can do that." She turned to him, a serious look in her eyes. "I cant co ordinate this war alone, Decian. I need support."

"I'll do what ever I can to do that, Lexi. But I still have a duty to Palaven. If you can get the krogan to join this fight, I can give you people."

"I don't expect you to neglect Palaven. But I need you to have my back when we meet Tevos and Valern."

"I'll always have your back. But they wont listen to me if they think I'm doing it purely because of my relationship with you. You need to make them understand."

"Thessia and Sur'Kesh wont stay safe for long. No one is gonna win this war alone."

Just as the lift door opened, Sparatus pulled her into his arms. "You know I'll always support you 100%."

"I know. Let's get this over with." Together, they walked to his office, ready for Shepard to state her case to the other councillors.

* * *

 

Shepard laid in bed, staring up at the darkness, the gentle sound of her lover snoring, giving her a sense of safety and security. She had been thinking about how to broach the subject of moving their wedding plans forward. They had planned a big, flashy wedding, but put those plans on hold because of the war. Now, because of that very war, all she wanted was to be married to him. The wedding part didn't matter to her any more.

"I can hear you thinking." His voice broke through the darkness.

"Sorry." She snuggled closer to him as his arm wrapped around her. "Just thinking about things."

"What things?" He pressed a gentle kiss into her bare shoulder.

"Mainly about us." She paused as she felt him tense up. "Not like that. I mean, with the war going on, one or both of us may not make it. I kinda just wanna marry you."

He relaxed, commanding the VI to bring the lights up slightly. "I've been thinking the same. You don't mind not having the wedding we planned?"

"We can still have the big wedding…..eventually. I just want to be married to you now."

He quickly grabbed her, pinning her underneath his body. She playfully tried to push him away, laughing as he nipped at her earlobe. "I can make Tevos do it. Then I'll take you to my office, where you'll scream so loud, the Presidium will hear you."

She gasped in faux shock. "No privacy mode?"

"Nope. I might even invite those reporters to watch."

Shepard giggled as he kissed he neck, moving to her chest. She let out a long, breathy moan as his mouth sealed around a nipple. "What would be the headline?"

He released her breast and his fingers traced the contours of her toned stomach before moving down to probe at her sex. "Human women love to be fucked by turian men." He entered her slowly, holding her hands above her head.

She relaxed under his strength, relinquishing all control to him. "Bit of a…..ah…..generalisation."

He moved slowly, tortuously inside of her, his face buried in her neck, savouring her sweet scent. "Shhhhh." They made gentle love, celebrating their relationship, for tomorrow, they would be married.

The ceremony went by in a blur. No thrills, no fuss, just two people who loved each other, desperate to be married. They knew Tevos was not happy to do the ceremony as she believed their relationship to be a conflict of interest. What they didn't know was, Tevos wanted Shepard to take on the role of humanities Councillor, but now she wasn't sure if it was possible.

* * *

 

Shepard entered her new house, the home that Sparatus had gifted her as a wedding present, when something sent a shiver up her spine. There was something off. Carefully she reached for the pistol she kept in the sideboard by the door and silently and steadily moved into the living room. When she rounded the corner she saw her living room full of turians. "What the fuck are you people doing here?" She demanded, gun still high and aimed at them.

They turned to look at her, his mother moved around the couch to stand before her. "Commander, we've come to discuss something with you. I hope we can do that amicably."

"It depends on what the subject is."

"Can you put the gun down?

"Nope." Shepard replied quickly. "Now talk, quickly."

"You need to leave, Decian."

Shepard scoffed, angrily holstering her gun. "Oh really. Care to explain why?"

"Being with a human, will severely impact on his career. You arent turian, you wouldnt understand."

She folded her arms, cocking a hip out, throwing a glare at her husband's former wife. "Why do you suddenly care about him or his career? You told him that you wished he aborted him. So lets not pretend you are here for Decian."

"My words were…..regrettable." His mother shifted uncomfortably.

"I know what this is about. She over there, pregnant and dumped. Am I right so far?" She smirked, when they all glanced at each other, nervously. "So now, to save face, you want to put it all on Decian, but I'm in the way."

"It's for the best."

"For everyone else. Decian, not so much."

His former wife, Nika, moved closer, clutching a holo in her hand, to show Shepard. "Look Commander, I tolerated his affairs and if he insisted on continuing his fling with you, I'd ignore it, if it was conducted privately. My son will be at a disadvantage if no one claims his paternity."

"Well, you should have thought about that before you got on your back." Shepard sneered.

"How dare you….!" Nika spat back. "Didn't stop you fucking him, while he was married to me."

"As your marriage was anything other the political farce. You didn't even want to marry him."

"You think you're were the first?"

"I know about his various women. As long as he's faithful to me, don't give a shit what he did before."

"He'll betray you eventually."

"No, he wont. Because we love and trust each other. Our vows meant something."

"What…?" His mother spluttered.

"We got married two weeks ago."

"What would you know about being a turian wife?" She snapped.

"What would you know about being a mother?" Shepard felt her face explode with pain as his mother slapped her hard across the face. "You may just regret that one day. Now get out!"

The front door opened, Sparatus happily strolling in, stopping dead when he saw his family and ex wife. "What are you doing in our home?" He snarled.

Shepard hugged him, pressing a kiss on his right mandible. "Oh, they think I'm going to leave you."

"You stay away from her." He warned, protectively holding Shepard against him. "Lexi hasn't done anything to you."

His mother looked to the others, nudging her head towards the door. They all filtered out, his mother the last to leave. "Give it some thought, Shepard."

"Oh, I wont." She scoffed, nuzzling her forehead against his neck. She watched as the front door closed, shutting his mother out. "So, Hi."

"Hi." He caressed her face, noting the red welt mark now forming. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, your mother slapped me."

"Sorry." He whispered, pulling her closer.

"It's fine." She moved away, backing slowly towards the stairs, stripping off her t-shirt, before putting one foot back on the stairs. "Now, are you gonna stand there or are we going to address the fact, we havent had sex for 10 whole days?"

He stalked towards her, as if she was his prey. She knew what she did to him, she enjoyed doing it to him but he wouldnt have it any other way. "Tease." He growled.

"And you love it!"


	15. Priority Palaven

Shepard watched on the screen in the shuttle as her husband's home world burned. Spots of orange dotted the planet as the Reapers brought a wave of death and destruction. They had tried to prepare but it no one could prepare for annihilation.

"Commander, the LZ's getting swarmed." Lieutenant Cortez interrupted her quiet musings.

"James, open that hatch." She pulled her gun from her back, waiting for the door to open. Form the air, they dispatched as many husks as they could before the shuttle landed. "Alright. Get in and get out. Let's move."

They traversed the rocky landscape of Menae, only stopping to ask a solider where the commanding officer was. She could tell that soldier was tired, battle weary and probably hadnt slept in a couple of days. The air lingered with a stench of death and hopelessness. It made her heart sink that her second home was crumbling with each passing minute.

"Hold your fire. Friendly inbound." A guard shouted from on top of the barricade, gesturing to another to open the gate.

As she walked through the camp, she caught the whispers of amazement that she, a human and the wife of their Councillor had arrived. She heard the familiar voice of a man she called friend, General Corinthus, just hidden from her view as he barked his orders to his sergeant. "Gaius?" She said as she stepped up the ramp towards him. "Good to see you."

"And you Shepard. Should have known Decian would send you."

"I've came to get, Lorin."

His mandibles tightened as he looked away, head slumping down. "Lorin…..he's dead."

"What?" Her voice broke and she let out a little whimper before suppressing it, she'd mourn for her friend later. She placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning towards him. "What happened?"

"Reaper shot down his shuttle." Corinthus shook his head as he clutched the hand on his shoulder. "He was trying to get to Valenia, her mother's colony was hit."

"Shit." She whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Will you tell, Decian? It'll be better coming from you."

"Of course." She said with a nod. "If Lorin's gone, who's next in line for Primarch?"

"That's complicated. With all the casualties, it's hard to know who is next in line. Palaven command will know."

"I sense a "but" in there."

"Our comm tower is out. We haven't been able to get close enough to repair it."

"I'll sort it out."

"Thanks, Shepard. I'll take care of things at this end." Corinthus watched as the Commander walked away. He knew that having her on Menae would do a lot to bolster the troops resolve. Not only is she probably would of the most of respected soldiers in the galaxy, she was also the wife of one their most influential politicians. Having her there was as good as having Sparatus there himself and in sending Shepard, it proved that he trusted her to act in his place.

Once the tower was fixed, Shepard made it back to camp after Corinthus had requested her to return. "Gaius. What have you got?"

"It's complicated. So many dead or MIA, Shepard."

"I don't care who, I need someone who can get the resources we need. Decian sent me here for that reason."

"Don't worry, Shepard." She smiled when she saw Garrus, walking up the ramp towards them. "We'll find you the Primarch."

"Garrus!" She embraced her friend, holding a suppressed giggle at Garrus' awkward reaction to Corinthus' salute. "I thought you'd be on Palaven."

"If we lose the moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest they have to a Reaper expert." Garrus looked past Shepard to see James and Liara standing behind her. "Lieutenant, pleasure to see you again. You too, Liara."

"Do we know who we are looking for, Scars?" James asked.

"It's Adrien." Corinthus cut into the conversation.

"Do we know where he is?"

"I was with him this morning, but we got separated. He could be anywhere out there."

"Well, we haven't got time to waste. Gaius, try to raise him."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

Shepard sent Liara back to the Normandy as Joker had radioed in a problem with EDI, leaving Garrus to take her place. The team helped Corinthus and his men secure the camp before heading out to find Victus. Between walking and shooting the husks that tried to get the drop on them, Shepard had been pondering some of troops strange behaviour towards her. Now we Garrus with her, she could ask and get an honest answer. "Garrus, why were the soldiers so off with me?"

"They weren't being "off" Shepard. You're Sparatus' wife, so in hierarchy terms, you outrank all them."

"Still doesn't answer the question, Garrus."

"There are clear rules in which you treat the highest of the hierarchy. By rights, as his wife and military yourself, you are afforded the same strict respect that Sparatus would be. Having you here is a good as having him here himself. So, they were merely playing by the rules and giving you the proper respect."

"But you didn't." She teased.

"I've saved your ass enough times to not have to."

"So, does that mean Lola has military sway? James asked, walking a few paces behind.

"Yes, she does. Sparatus has sent Shepard, so he trusts her to act on his behalf." Garrus slowed to keep pace with James, leaving Shepard to take point. "We are nearing the next camp."

Two fireballs landed inside the camp, following an explosion. "That sounds bad!" James yelled.

"Double time, people. No Reaper is taking this Primarch from me." They ran into the camp, helping the troops dispatch the Reaper forces.

"Shepard?" Victus didn't see her at first as all eyes where on the husks and brutes in the camp. "What are you doing here?"

"Lorin's dead. You are the new Primarch." She felt bad about dropping that on him, since they were close friends, but it was better to get it out in the open.

Victus let out a small mournful sound, before walking past Shepard to a cliff edge, looking out towards Palaven. "I'm the new Primarch?"

"I need your help, Adrien. I need you to chair a summit to represent the Turian people."

"I take it Decian sent you here?"

"He did. What is happening here, is worse on Earth." She sighed, looking towards Palaven. "We need to join forces if we are to win this."

"Have you heard from Hannah?" Victus could see in Shepard's eyes that she hadnt.

"I…She was on Arcturus. It was destroyed."

He suppressed his thoughts of Hannah. She would want him to stay strong, so for her he would. "Let me say goodbye to my men."

* * *

 Shepard stood in the QEC room, trying to work up the courage to call Sparatus. It made her heart sink, thinking about how she would tell him, his long time friend was dead. War had already started to take its toll on Shepard and she knew that she'd lose more friends along the way. She stood up straight and pressed the button to call him.

She held back a small sob when he appeared on screen, looking as tired as she was. "Hey."

"Hi, Lexi. What's wrong?"

She should have known he'd be able to tell something was bothering her, he always knew. "Deci, I have some bad news."

"What is it?"

"Lorin…Lorin is dead." She dam finally opened as she thought about Lorin and her mother. She knew that Valenia was likely dead, little Cassius too. That made her angry, knowing that Cassius, just a four month old infant may have had his promising little life cut short.

"I…" He paused to contain the sob that threatening to overwhelm him. "How?"

"He was trying to leave Menae. Valenia's home colony was hit. I'm so sorry, Deci."

"Send me the reports. How are you holding up?"

"Not so good. I'm far away from you and I have no idea if my mother is alive or not."

"Just…come back to the Citadel when you can."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you."

Shepard turned off the comm. It had to be the shortest conversation they had ever had while separated, but she understood. He needed to mourn, so did she and its hard to mourn together when so far apart. Tomorrow would be another day, they would talk properly then, until she needed a drink and some sleep.


	16. Now, it's personal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long. Life is an annoying distraction.

Shepard sighed as Sparatus placed the wet cloth on her forehead. She had landed on the Citadel, not even an hour before hand and slugged herself off to her husband's office, immediately flopping herself down on the couch, ordering the VI to black out the windows. She had come back from Eden Prime and her head had been thumping ever since. Admittedly, she could have gone to the doctor, but Chakwas did love to nag her and that would have just made her head feel worse.

"How does that feel?" He soothed, gently dabbing the cloth on her face.

"So good. You always make me feel better."

"Why didn't you just go home?"

"Missed you too much to wait." She replied sleepily, letting her eyes close.

He chuckled, giving her a tender kiss on her cheek. "Get some sleep." He found the blanket he kept stashed away and gently laid it over her body. She had quickly fallen asleep, her beautiful face relaxing with the security she felt from being with him. She looked so angelic when she slept, funny when you considered the amount of damage she could do.

He sat working quietly at his terminal, not noticing when the door opened, his mother walking in. A small cough caught his attention and his relaxed mood turned sour. "What do you want?" He sneered.

"I wish to speak to you about the situation with the Human." His mother said, politely.

"That Human happens to be my wife." He looked over to Shepard, checking to see if she was still asleep. "Do not wake her up."

"Surely, you can see this marriage will effect the family."

"Lexi is my family. My only family." He huffed. "So, please leave before you wake her."

His mother clicked her mandibles, almost surprised by her son's tone. Then she looked towards the sleeping human. "You really wont give her up?" There was something so small and vulnerable about her, but she seemed so at peace, like she was in the safest place in the galaxy.

"No, I will not." He got up from his desk to pull the blanket up over her shoulders, running his gloved talons through her hair. "Lexi knows the worst the about me, yet she still loves me. Maybe one day, you'll know what it feels to be loved like that and to love like that."

"Well, I wish you both the best." His mother left the room without another word. She was envious of her son. She didn't doubt that her husband loved her, but he never looked at her the way her son looked at Shepard. She had neglected her son ever since he was born, yet he become a powerful figurehead for the Turian race, thriving without any input from her. Her husband wanted that Human gone from their family, but really, Sparatus had removed himself and made a new family. It was was that she envied most. The ability to do what was right for each other and no one else.

Sparatus' gaze remained on the door after his mother left. He could hardly believe what she said. Never in his life had his mother so willingly bestowed praise and kind words on him before. _"_ _What the hell spurred that on?_ _"_ He wondered as he returned back to his desk, starting on the large pile of work waiting for him. He glanced back at Lexi to make sure she was still asleep and smiled contentedly.

* * *

 

Tears. Why were there no tears? Shepard sat by the bed, pondering that question. She wanted to cry, but no tears would come to her. The Alliance had officially declared her mother, killed in action. The wreckage of the Orizaba was found floating around what remained of Arcturus. She preyed, hoped and convinced herself her mother was still alive and now she had been given up for dead.

She was meant to be getting ready to meet her husband, for a formal do that he was dragging to. Now, she was sat on the floor, half dressed, trembling fingers desperately clinging to a picture of her mother. It was a dream, it had to be. She couldn't lose her mother, the only parent she ever had. She had already lost people she loved, she couldn't lose more.

It was only when her husband appeared in the bedroom doorway, that the damn finally broke and a heartbreaking sob escaped her. Within seconds, he was by her side, pulling her into his arms, rocking her gently as she sobbed against him. Sparatus hadn't been due home so early, but Admiral Hackett called him, the man seeming not as stoic as he normally was, to deliver the news him. Hackett knew his niece, knowing she would need time to process the news, then a new fire would be lit within her, a new determination to help her do the impossible. Just as her mother would want.

Hours later, Sparatus ordered his wife into the shower, while he made her some dinner, knowing she probably hadn't eaten since that morning. They had managed to talk after Shepard had her fill of tears. She admitted that deep down she knew it was coming, but she didn't expect it so soon, so it did come as shock.

Shepard stood under the hot spray, looking down at the drain as the water swirled and disappeared. Her body was numb to everything, including the heat, and she couldn't tell if tears or water was running down her face as she hopelessly tried to manage the task of bathing herself. Her muscles felt weak and in her mind it was a miracle she was even standing upright. Nothing in the galaxy felt right any more, not now that she lost the most important person in her life. What was she going to do without her mother? How was she going to move on when part of her reason for fighting was now gone? She was finally starting to feel the weight of every single life that depended on her and her knees buckled under the pressure.

Sparatus walked into the bathroom, his heart sinking at the sight of his beloved, slumped on the floor in the shower, staring into the drain. He turned the water off, kneeling down to her level. "Lexi, you'll get cold." He soothed, stroking her leg, receiving no response. "Ok. I'll be here when you're ready to come out."

He left the bathroom, pondering on what he could do for Shepard. Hannah and her daughter were very close, having raised Shepard single handedly for the majority of her life. He opened up his omni tool, tapping the name of the one person who could help Shepard in a way that he couldn't. "Vakarian?"

" _Uh, Councillor, Sir. This is a surprise."_ Garrus stuttered, shocked that Sparatus would ever call him.

"Calm down, Vakarian. I need your help." He paused, turning back to check in on Shepard before he walked out of the bedroom. "I don't know if you heard, but the Alliance have declared Hannah, KIA."

Garrus stayed silent, until he let out a deep sigh. _"Shit. How is she?"_

"Slumped down in the shower. She just wont move. It's like she's not even there any more."

" _Does Primarch Victus know?"_

"I don't know. I need to go and see him, but I cant leave Lexi on her own?"

" _I'm already on my way."_

"Thanks, Vakarian."

Minutes later, Garrus appeared at the apartment with a guest that made Sparatus' heart sink. "Adrien? Didn't expect to see you." He moved aside to let both men in, swallowing hard at the thought of telling his friend, his mate had died.

"Vakarian asked me come. Not a problem is it?"

Sparatus thought hard to suppress his subvocals, to avoid giving too much away to his friend before he sent Garrus to deal with Shepard. "Of course not. Vakarian, Shepard is in the bedroom." He waited for the younger Turian to leave before offering Victus a drink. "Drink?"

"Please." He took the brandy into his taloned hand, giving a sniff before taking a sip. "I'll get to the point, Decian. What aren't you telling me?"

"I really wish I didn't have to tell you this….." He stopped, looking away from his friend.

"It's Hannah, isn't it?" Victus replied quietly, his subvocals giving the away the pain he was feeling. "How is, Lexi?"

Sparatus took a deep breath before exhaling and downing a glass of brandy. He was about to pour himself another when he realised what he was doing, pushing the bottle towards Victus. He figured his friend needed it more than he did. "Not good. You know how close they were."

Victus poured himself another drink, then slumped down into arm chair. Sparatus mercifully allowed the silence to settle between, so he could think about Hannah, to mourn the woman he loved. Regret took bites out of him, when he realised, he never told Hannah that he did actually love her. But, surely she had to have known? You don't allow yourself to become so intimate with a woman like Hannah Shepard and not find yourself in love with her. Sparatus knew what it was like to be in love with a woman like that. Now, Victus had lost his to death and Sparatus was losing his to grief. He wanted to be angry, really angry but he just felt numb. He had been here before with the death of his wife. He had felt that pain and maybe, a part of him wanted to protect him, shield him from it, so it was better to feel nothing.

Both men sat in silence until raised voices coming from the master bedroom caught their attentions. They walked up the stairs to the bedroom to see Shepard hair dripping wet, bath robe wrapped around her, standing chest to chest with Garrus. Shepard was angry and Garrus looked like he was challenging her, trying to make her even more angry. "That was your mother, Shepard and all you are doing is moping!"

"Shut up, Garrus!" She screamed in his face, neither aware of their audience. "I'll grieve how I want."

"Pick another way. Moping is beneath you, Shepard." He sneered.

She slapped Garrus hard in the chest, pushing him backwards, but not enough to push him off his feet. "Fuck you, Garrus! Just fuck you." She walked away from him, towards the mirror, punching it so hard the glass shattered. "How fucking dare they take her from me! How fucking dare they!" She screamed at her fractured reflection.

Garrus appeared behind, making eye contact through the mirror. "So what are you going to do." He asked, an edge of authority in his voice.

Shepard spun around to face him, hands clenched, face fixed with determination. "I'm going to make them pay. They'll regret the day they set their eyes on this galaxy. Are you going to help or just continue being a pussy?"

Garrus chuckled slightly. There she was, his Commander, the woman he'd follow to hell and back. It was why he followed her. She could take a knock, a set back, a heartbreak and turn it into the fire that her so impossible to stop.

Victus' heart was racing as he watched Garrus and Shepard embrace. Gone was the numbness he felt, replaced by a new found edge, a drive towards victory. Watching the flames burn in Shepard's eyes, made him believe for the first time, glory was there for the taking.

Sparatus stood back, watching his wife and her friend… no, after this, their friend embrace, relieved to have his impossible, stubborn and shouty wife back. Garrus and Shepard had a unique friendship, but it was more than friendship. Others would believe that he should jealous or worried about that, but he wasn't. They were a team, they completed each other. Garrus was as important to Shepard as her mother was and it was he that she needed then. He knew that she would come to him for love and support as she always did, but she needed something different, to be challenged in only a way Garrus could, in a way only a sibling could.

As he predicted, Shepard came to him, falling into his waiting arms. He held her close, looking on as Garrus embraced Victus, giving the respected Primarch some comfort in place of Tarquin, who would need to be told as he was close to Hannah too. He looked down at his wife, an idea forming in his brain. "Lexi, shall we go shoot some things?" He asked, softly.

She looked up, giving him a sad smile. "You always have such good ideas."


	17. A moment of bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There aint no plot here. It's just sex.

Shepard dropped her bag on the floor, just inside the door of the apartment. "Deci, you home?" She called out, only to be met with silence. "Perfect." She smiled, running upstairs with the box she carried under her arm. She wanted to make sure every thing was set up before Sparatus got home.

It was his birthday today and she had got back as soon as she could. He had no idea she was coming home. For a while it looked like she wouldnt get home but with a few casual threats, she was granted some shore leave. She had a plan to order in his favourite dinner and welcome him home wearing very little. His present had been collected and she bought a sexy new outfit. It was a pity that the delicate lace would be shredded on the floor of whatever room he lost his control.

Dinner came with enough time to get herself ready. After a quick shower, dried her hair and did her black up in the way that he liked. Smiling as she put on her new black lace, off the shoulder baby doll and tiny, black lace thong. Stepping in black stilettos, she walked to the mirror, admiring herself. The peaks of her breasts were just visible under the lace. It was all about her husband tonight and she intended for him to be a spent force come the morning.

She left the bedroom, walking down to the kitchen to get the table ready for dinner, while it was kept warm in the oven. Quickly turning on some romantic music, she did a double check that every thing was ready. The door pinged, letting her know that he was home. Jumping up on to the counter, she placed his present next to her, waiting.

Sparatus slumped towards the front door, glad that his shitty day was coming to a close. It had been one boring meeting after another and endless petty squabbles to deal with. On top of all that, it was his birthday. Apart from a call from Shepard, it was a day he'd rather forget.

Opening the door, he heard the soft music, he recognised as Shepard's favourite. Stepping in, he was hopeful that she had managed to return home after all. "Lexi?" He called out.

"I'm in the kitchen, Councillor." He knew from her tone that his day was about to get better.

He rushed to the kitchen to find his wife, sat on the counter, long legs crossed, wearing the most criminal outfit. He growled loudly, moving to grab her. "You look…incredible."

She pushed a hand against his chest. "Not so fast, birthday boy." She hopped off the counter, slipping a hand down his trousers. "I havent even touched you yet and already he's come out to play."

"Have you seen you?"

She chuckled as she teased his cock out. "Yes I have. If I wasn't so busy, I would have masturbated."

"Why didn't you greet me like that?" He moaned at the loss of her hand, when she pulled it away.

"If that's want you want." She hopped on to the counter again, her hand slipping into her thong. "Is this what you wanted?"

He growled, his mandibles tight as he watched his wife play with herself. In a flash, he pulled her from the counter, turning her around to bend her over it. The flimsy fabric of her thong tore easily as he ripped them roughly with his talons.

"Brute."

He didn't reply, instead he buried his face in her sex, greedily liking at her pink folds as she mewled above him. It didn't take long to bring her to the edge.

Shepard gripped the edge the counter as her legs turned shaky. She was close to breaking as Sparatus was exceptionally gifted at oral sex. It really wasn't a surprise given the nature of his job, but he managed to turn Shepard into a shaking, broken mess in under a minute. "F..fuck." She cried out she came around his face. But he left her no time to recover as he yanked her from the counter, pushing her to her knees.

"Suck my cock, Human." He demanded.

She did as asked, taking his length into her mouth. Letting him take control, his hand gripped her hair forcing more of himself into her mouth. She found an easy rhythm, breathing in time of his thrust, swallowing when he hit her throat.

He came with a feral roar, spilling his seed in her mouth. "Fuck. Lexi you are something else."

She swallowed, grinning as she stood up. "I know. Why you married me. You owe me new panties."

"Why do you even wear them? They only get ruined."

"Because you cant wait to get them off."

He pulled her to him, walking her back until she was pressed against the fridge. "It's not my fault my wife is so sexy."

"How about when this war is over, we take a long holiday to some where hot and private so we can spend all day naked."

"We can finally have, what is it you Humans call it? Sugar moon?"

"Close. It's a honeymoon." She chuckled, giving him a quick kiss. "Now let's eat."

"And we can discuss how you deceived me, woman."

Shepard dished up dinner and took a seat opposite to Sparatus. "I didn't. I threatened to quit if I wasn't granted shore leave."

He gave a questioning look. "Is that the full story?"

She smirked, giving her lips a quick pout. "I may have told Hackett it was your birthday and that I need to get home to fuck you senseless."

Sparatus laughter broke free. "What did he say?"

"He just said, "Fair enough" You know what he's like."

They finished dinner and Shepard moved to the living room, watching out of the windows, clutching a wine glass in her hand. Hands quickly grabbed her from behind, taking the wine glass from her hand. "How did you get naked so quickly?"

He pressed a kiss into her neck, nipping at her ear. "I had inspiration." He chuckled as his hands slip under her baby doll, cupping her breasts.

She sighed as he massaged her breasts, enjoying the feel of skin against hers. " For a Turian, you are fascinated with my tits."

"But they fit so perfectly in my hands." He peppered her shoulder with kisses. Do you know what Oraka asked me? What you were like in bed."

"What did you tell him?"

His hand caressed her stomach before moving down in between her legs, probing at her sex. "I told him you that you loved to be fucked hard. How you go crazy as soon as I touch you. The sounds you make, like a beautiful symphony. They all envy me, Lexi. Envy me because I have a strong, beautiful wife. Such a perfect creature."

"Please…." She groaned.

"You want me to fuck you, don't you? She whimpered, struggling to stay on her feet, he held her tight, his erection pressing against her backside. "Do you want me to fuck you on all four?"

"Fuck, yes.…" She breathed out.

"Say it!"

"Please…." She begged.

"There's a good little Human." He pushed her down to knees, joining her on the floor. "I wont be gentle."

"Good." She almost screamed in surprise when he quickly entered her.

He stilled to tease her, waiting until she whined to move, snapping her back to meet his thrusts, keeping a firm grip on her hips.

Shepard's arms began to turn to jelly as she got in the ecstasy, her whole body fire as her husband pounded into her hard and fast. "Hair….." She groaned out.

He grabbed her hair, pulling her backwards, thrusting harder and harder. The room filled with the scent of sex and sound of their joining, lustful moans getting louder as they headed towards climax. He felt her orgasm as she constricted around his cock, crying out in ecstasy. He growled loudly as as he spilled into her, making a very more desperate thrusts before they collapsed to the carpet in a spent heap.

Shepard slowly game back to reality, shifting uncomfortably under his body. "Deci?" She managed to say, shifting again.

He pulled his softening cock out of her, moving to the floor next to her. "Sorry, love."

She turned to him, smiling, sighing happily. "So, happy birthday."

He pulled her closer, kissing her shoulder and arm. "You know, we've been together for nearly two years now."

"Hmmm, two years and counting."

"Make sure we win this war, Lexi. We havent had enough time together."

Shepard moved, push him on his back, straddling his hips. "We'll win, Deci. I think we deserve a few decades together." She pressed her forehead against his in a Turian kiss, eyes meeting, hearts beating in perfect rhythm, breathing slow and peacefully. "I love you, Deci."

"I love you, Lexi. More than anything." Together, they lay on their living room floor, clinging on to each other, forgetting everything that went on around them. Just a few moments of pure bliss.


End file.
